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Echo
How can I know what's going to happen? But somehow he did know. The feeling was like déjà vu but stronger...and scarier. It told him that without a doubt something was going to happen. And it was going to be bad. *** In the year since Justin's younger brother, Mark, died in a horrific accident, Justin's life has unraveled. Justin used to be one of the school's star athletes, but now he's not even on any of the teams. He used to be part of the popular crowd, but now everyone at school treats him like he's a monster. He used to date one of the prettiest girls at school, but now she will barely speak to him. Then on the anniversary of his brother's death he gets into a fight with his former best friend, and things spiral out of control -- with terrible consequences. But that's not the worst. Now Justin is hearing a voice that's making him relive the day of the accident over and over again. In this dark thriller, Edgar Award nominee Kate Morgenroth explores the thin line between reality and illusion inside a troubled young mind.
148 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 6, 2007
13 people are currently reading
460 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
April 26, 2008
This book is only 131 pages. The font is big and it's spaced out, so you could easily read it in a day - I know I did. What keeps you going is the plot. Kate Morgenroth is one of the most creative writers I've ever read from. The story is of a boy who has witnessed his younger brother's death. It goes through a day in his life over and over again, and with each repeat, I swear, your heart speeds up. This book is so good at keeping you glued to its' pages. If you want a really good, fast read, this is SO the book for you.
March 24, 2012
Jude, another book by Morgenroth, is an underground classic in my classes, but until last week, I'd never investigated whether she had other books...and she does! More YAL and adult fiction too.
Morgenroth seems to really understand young men in pain. Justin playfully goaded his little brother into pulling the trigger of a gun, and Mark dies in front of Justin's horrified face. Nothing can ever be the same and nothing can ever be ok after something like that.
We follow Justin through a day of agony in high school -- kids picking on each other, pushing, shoving, and a couple of scary confrontations with Billy, Justin's former best friend. Justin pushes Billy down a flight of stairs, goes home, takes all of his mother's sedatives...and wakes up again, the same day. All through the day he carries on a conversation with a voice in his head, urging him to keep going forward...but to what?
This time Justin pays more attention to others in his day -- their feelings, their responses. He begins to sense motivations in their responses to him. But it ends the same -- Billy falling down the stairs, Justin going home and taking the pills.
The reader is left in an uncomfortable limbo for most of the book...we know Justin is in pain; we know he's choosing which details to remember and which to obliterate...then we discover the day Justin is stuck in is the one-year anniversary of his brother's death, and we discover Justin has walled up his emotions and has never grieved, never forgiven himself, never allowed others to comfort him.
Justin is doing important work and we are as trapped as he is in this nightmare.
Nuanced, well researched. So realistic depicting the bullying that goes on in school, the many ways students try to shield themselves from getting hurt: "you felt this way and that made you turn and attack someone else and pass along the feeling, and they did the same, and on and on and on. It was like some sort of virus -- one that you spread intentionally. He looked up and out of the window he was the building that was like a petri dish for the virus. They had arrived at school."
I'm eager to share this one next week.
Morgenroth seems to really understand young men in pain. Justin playfully goaded his little brother into pulling the trigger of a gun, and Mark dies in front of Justin's horrified face. Nothing can ever be the same and nothing can ever be ok after something like that.
We follow Justin through a day of agony in high school -- kids picking on each other, pushing, shoving, and a couple of scary confrontations with Billy, Justin's former best friend. Justin pushes Billy down a flight of stairs, goes home, takes all of his mother's sedatives...and wakes up again, the same day. All through the day he carries on a conversation with a voice in his head, urging him to keep going forward...but to what?
This time Justin pays more attention to others in his day -- their feelings, their responses. He begins to sense motivations in their responses to him. But it ends the same -- Billy falling down the stairs, Justin going home and taking the pills.
The reader is left in an uncomfortable limbo for most of the book...we know Justin is in pain; we know he's choosing which details to remember and which to obliterate...then we discover the day Justin is stuck in is the one-year anniversary of his brother's death, and we discover Justin has walled up his emotions and has never grieved, never forgiven himself, never allowed others to comfort him.
Justin is doing important work and we are as trapped as he is in this nightmare.
Nuanced, well researched. So realistic depicting the bullying that goes on in school, the many ways students try to shield themselves from getting hurt: "you felt this way and that made you turn and attack someone else and pass along the feeling, and they did the same, and on and on and on. It was like some sort of virus -- one that you spread intentionally. He looked up and out of the window he was the building that was like a petri dish for the virus. They had arrived at school."
I'm eager to share this one next week.
June 20, 2011
This is a very fast read -- in fact I read it cover to cover in under 40 minutes while waiting for the pharmacy to open -- but definitely not a light one. Some plot devices intrigue me; some just annoy me. In this case, I thought Morgenroth did an excellent job with the whole "echo" thing, and the characterization was very good especially considering how short the book was.
For a different (but just as good) treatment on the same topic, try Freeze Frame by Heidi Ayarbe.
For a different (but just as good) treatment on the same topic, try Freeze Frame by Heidi Ayarbe.
October 1, 2018
Book Review #1
In the book ECHO by kate morgenroth, it is a mixture of mysterious but also humor. There is 2 pretty big characters, Justin and Billy. The story starts out pretty slow and confusing. But the way the story is laid out you start to put things together so its starts to make more sense as you go along. So far i like the book pretty good. Its slow so it makes me very bored. Its predictable so you know when something is about to happen so there isn't really anything that catches your attention. For a mystery book you want something that makes your heart beat faster but in ECHO you don't really feel that.
One day justin and mark, Justin's little brother were watching tv. When Marks tv show was over justin takes the remote to turn on his shows. Mark demands for it back. When Justin doesnt give it back mark gets the gun and threatens to shoot justin. When that didn't work mark points the gun at himself and shoots. After that Justin's life switched upside down. The problem besides his brothers death is that he is known by the kid who killed his brother. Everyone at school is afraid to be his friend. Even his old best friend Billy, is now his worst enemy.
In the book ECHO by kate morgenroth, it is a mixture of mysterious but also humor. There is 2 pretty big characters, Justin and Billy. The story starts out pretty slow and confusing. But the way the story is laid out you start to put things together so its starts to make more sense as you go along. So far i like the book pretty good. Its slow so it makes me very bored. Its predictable so you know when something is about to happen so there isn't really anything that catches your attention. For a mystery book you want something that makes your heart beat faster but in ECHO you don't really feel that.
One day justin and mark, Justin's little brother were watching tv. When Marks tv show was over justin takes the remote to turn on his shows. Mark demands for it back. When Justin doesnt give it back mark gets the gun and threatens to shoot justin. When that didn't work mark points the gun at himself and shoots. After that Justin's life switched upside down. The problem besides his brothers death is that he is known by the kid who killed his brother. Everyone at school is afraid to be his friend. Even his old best friend Billy, is now his worst enemy.
August 6, 2010
i can really relate to this book because i had a friend who's 13 year old brother committed suicide. my friend was devastated and also tried to follow in his younger brother's footsteps but only succeeded in putting himself in a coma. when he woke up he was depressed and came to me for help. he told me that while he was unconscious for the seven months in his coma, he kept reliving the day his little brother died. i made him write it all down in a journal and he never showed anyone but me. five months later, he was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his room dead. it was hard to get over and i still cry when i think of him, four years later. i have no idea why he would do so though because he was a major jock, he was really good looking and had the perfect grades, but his younger brothers death killed him too.
January 16, 2013
I felt the author did a great job on catching my attention at the beginning of this book. This book is about how two brothers who are in their parent's bedroom watching TV when things go terribly wrong. Justin has flashbacks of what happened that day, but can never seem to get rid of them. One day, a voice appears in Justin’s head and makes Justin keep reliving the worst day of his life. Things are different each day on how Justin could've done things differently that day.
I recommend this book to teenagers because it changed my view on how I look at people now. Also when I finished reading this book I could've never done what Justin had to go through. Never take a day of life for granted.
I recommend this book to teenagers because it changed my view on how I look at people now. Also when I finished reading this book I could've never done what Justin had to go through. Never take a day of life for granted.
December 3, 2010
This book replays the same scenerio over and over again. It was getting a little annoying. This was my least favorite Morgenroth book. I give this one a 2.5.
April 29, 2016
Really good book. Not recommended for young teens, but such a good description of how trauma and grief can tear a family or even a person apart.
October 18, 2017
Echo by Kate Morgenroth is a psychological thriller. The story contains a 15 year old boy named Justin who went from popular to getting falsely accused of his own brothers death. Megan is Justin's ex-girlfriend who is one of the prettiest girls in school. Billy was Justin's best friend until the incident with Mark (Justin's brother.)
A short summary of the story: Justin wakes up with deja vu, going through the same day three times with a voice inside his head instructing him on what to do. Every day, the same events happen, his parents talking in the morning, going to the same classes, etc. except different characters have different actions setting a new perspective for the day and Justin.
Conflict in Echo by Kate Morgenroth is man vs. self since Justin is trying to face the same day that brought him trauma and fear over and over again to help overcome it.
Setting in this story consists mainly of school like the classrooms, prop room, principal's office, etc. but it also includes Justin's home and the bus in the mornings.
3 of the most exciting/ interesting moments in the book (in my perspective) are page 77-78 when Justin announces that Mark's death was a year ago to the day in the principal's office, page 121-122 where Billy asks if he can go to the memorial for Mark with Justin resulting in Justin pushing him down the stairs. The final one is pages 116 and 117 when Justin and Megan meet again in the prop room like the previous days except this time, Megan explains how she felt in regards of their relationship and then yelled offensive words to Justin after he grabbed her instead of her immediately saying those words.
3 reasons why you'll enjoy this book are because it makes you think throughout the story and messes with your mind, it can help you see different people's perspectives that you may be blind to in the beginning maybe causing shock as you continue to read through the story, and this story (not relating to everyone) can also help and relate to people who have dealt with a loved one's death or depression since both have happened to Justin and this story is just merely him with the effect of it all.
A short summary of the story: Justin wakes up with deja vu, going through the same day three times with a voice inside his head instructing him on what to do. Every day, the same events happen, his parents talking in the morning, going to the same classes, etc. except different characters have different actions setting a new perspective for the day and Justin.
Conflict in Echo by Kate Morgenroth is man vs. self since Justin is trying to face the same day that brought him trauma and fear over and over again to help overcome it.
Setting in this story consists mainly of school like the classrooms, prop room, principal's office, etc. but it also includes Justin's home and the bus in the mornings.
3 of the most exciting/ interesting moments in the book (in my perspective) are page 77-78 when Justin announces that Mark's death was a year ago to the day in the principal's office, page 121-122 where Billy asks if he can go to the memorial for Mark with Justin resulting in Justin pushing him down the stairs. The final one is pages 116 and 117 when Justin and Megan meet again in the prop room like the previous days except this time, Megan explains how she felt in regards of their relationship and then yelled offensive words to Justin after he grabbed her instead of her immediately saying those words.
3 reasons why you'll enjoy this book are because it makes you think throughout the story and messes with your mind, it can help you see different people's perspectives that you may be blind to in the beginning maybe causing shock as you continue to read through the story, and this story (not relating to everyone) can also help and relate to people who have dealt with a loved one's death or depression since both have happened to Justin and this story is just merely him with the effect of it all.
May 16, 2019
PTSD Dark Thriller
Echo by Kate Morgenroth is mind boggling PTSD dark thriller that is noticeably based on the life of a kid who is suffering from mental trauma also known as PTSD. ECHO is about a high school boy named Justin, he is a star athlete and his girlfriend is the prettiest girl in the school or at least before his brother, Mark, died in a terrible accident. After the tragedy of his brothers death Justin’s parents don’t talk to him as much, his mother pretends that everything is alright, he stopped playing any sports, everyone at school thinks of him as a monster, and his girlfriend,or now ex girlfriend, barely speaks to him unless she has some snarky comment about the way he acts now. On the anniversary of his brothers death he gets into a fight with his, used to be, best friend and suddenly things go south. Justin starts to hear a voice, a voice in his head that’s making him relive the anniversary of this brothers death over and over again like déjà vu, yet each time the day starts over he notices that something is just a little bit different in the way that things play out. Read this novel to find out what happened to his poor brother Mark and where this nightmare of déjà vu will end.
Echo by Kate Morgenroth is mind boggling PTSD dark thriller that is noticeably based on the life of a kid who is suffering from mental trauma also known as PTSD. ECHO is about a high school boy named Justin, he is a star athlete and his girlfriend is the prettiest girl in the school or at least before his brother, Mark, died in a terrible accident. After the tragedy of his brothers death Justin’s parents don’t talk to him as much, his mother pretends that everything is alright, he stopped playing any sports, everyone at school thinks of him as a monster, and his girlfriend,or now ex girlfriend, barely speaks to him unless she has some snarky comment about the way he acts now. On the anniversary of his brothers death he gets into a fight with his, used to be, best friend and suddenly things go south. Justin starts to hear a voice, a voice in his head that’s making him relive the anniversary of this brothers death over and over again like déjà vu, yet each time the day starts over he notices that something is just a little bit different in the way that things play out. Read this novel to find out what happened to his poor brother Mark and where this nightmare of déjà vu will end.
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December 3, 2023I’m really not sure how to rate this one, so I’m not going to. It was interesting, got me thinking, and I thought there was a good message/lesson learned in the end. I’d actually love to have Emily read a book with this concept but with less violence/death. Being able to see that through your emotional state, things aren’t necessarily the way we see them in the moment. But this context would be way too much for her.
[PopSugar Challenge: a book with a rabbit on the cover]
[PopSugar Challenge: a book with a rabbit on the cover]
November 12, 2023
Read for extra credit in English and loved it! Picked it off the shelf not really knowing what to expect. It got me out of a reading slump and it was so nice to ignore responsibilities and dive into a book. The book I was reading felt like a chore instead of fun, and this book did not feel like that at all. Now that I’m in a psychology class, I lived the psychological aspect of this book. I could relate a lot of his symptoms to things I learned in class. I was confused on a few things tho. Was his ex best friend really a bully or did he imagines that? Also was he the one who bullied Danny?
July 7, 2013
I was browsing at a thrift shop a few weeks back, looking for some secondhand books, and I came across Echo by Kate Morgenroth. It looked like a short, easy story that I could breeze through within a day or so, so I picked it up.
Yes, I was right that you could read it quite quickly, but I was dead wrong when I assumed it would just be a quick novel without much depth. I was pleasantly surprised when I began reading this book: it seemed very fast paced, but yet extremely realistic.
Echo starts out with a scary bit captivating prologue, with a third person recount of the tragic death of fifteen year old Justin's brother, Mark
But as you enter Chapter One, you learn that it has been exactly one year since the accident, and the troubled main character Justin has basically lost everything. His relationship with his parents has been crippled, he no longer has any friends, and he and his girlfriend have broken up. And worst of all, he has started to hear a voice in his head and is beginning to see things that aren't really there.
The story brings you through his particularly awful day: he is jostled in the hallways, unfairly punished for a fight in the cafeteria, is kicked out of class, and has many more things happen to him that eventually push him over the edge: at the end of the day, he shoves his former best friend down the stairs, nearly killing him. When he gets home, he takes his mom's pills, but wakes up the next morning, like nothing ever happened.
I automatically began to sympathize with this character, and saw that he was being treated unfairly and that it must be completely horrible to lose everything after the death of his brother.
But then things start to get more interesting.... and even more confusing.
The day that has just been played out repeats itself, with some differences, yet none too major. Justin starts to notice little things that he never noticed before, little details that if he had noticed the first time, some of the actions of the day before wouldn't have even happened. And there's still that voice that he talks to all the time... the story just grows more confusing.
But the plot keeps pulling you in, and it won't let you go. Never once did I consider dropping this book: I read it all within a few hours, I just couldn't put it down.
Anyways, the same day repeats itself again, for the third time. By this time Justin is irritable to everything, and begins to snap at people and grows more and more of a frustrating character.
In the beginning, I mentioned that I sympathized with him, but after awhile it seems that as he pieces little moments and actions together, he realizes that he was playing the victim card before, when really, most of the fights/arguments/etc were actually started by him. For example, in the cafeteria, he believes that his ex-best friend Billy had been bullying another student, but as he repeats the incident again, he realizes it was just Billy fooling around with his little brother for fun. Therefore, if he had noticed it before, he would have never started fighting with Billy in the cafeteria. With his new found perceptiveness, Justin realizes he was the one who dropped all of his friends, not the other way around.
At this point I was thinking, "Is this book just going to be the same day repeating itself over and over again?" And then I pondered that for a second and continued to read, because I realized I wouldn't care if that's all the book was... it was interesting either way.
I thought once he realized that the whole world wasn't against him, he would start trying to right his wrongs, but nope. The same thing happens at the end of the school day: Justin shoves his ex-friend down the stairs, and almost kills him. This time, things happen a little differently though. When he reaches home, instead of just swallowing the entire bottle of pills like the first two times, he actually realizes what he's done. He says to the voice in his head that he killed them both, I assume referring to Mark and Billy, and the voice responds by saying, "No Justin. The only person you really tried to kill was yourself."
That's when the realization hit me... or at least I thought it did. I thought he had just been predicting stuff for the actual time it happened, that the first two times he recounted the day were just preparing him for the third day. Boy, was I wrong!
It turned out that the voice in his head was a psychiatrist, and he had been helping get over the day of the accident by making him replay the day over and over again in some kind of hypnotherapy.
Seriously, that was a plot twist that I never could have guessed.
I'm going to end the review here, because I think you should read the book yourself to find out what happens. It's definitely worth the read, whether you're thirteen or thirty, and I can not express how much I love this book. It's suspenseful and thrilling, mysterious and unique and just so damn realistic.
This story is one of the best I have read in years: it's real, it's raw and it ropes you in right away.
-eea
Yes, I was right that you could read it quite quickly, but I was dead wrong when I assumed it would just be a quick novel without much depth. I was pleasantly surprised when I began reading this book: it seemed very fast paced, but yet extremely realistic.
Echo starts out with a scary bit captivating prologue, with a third person recount of the tragic death of fifteen year old Justin's brother, Mark
But as you enter Chapter One, you learn that it has been exactly one year since the accident, and the troubled main character Justin has basically lost everything. His relationship with his parents has been crippled, he no longer has any friends, and he and his girlfriend have broken up. And worst of all, he has started to hear a voice in his head and is beginning to see things that aren't really there.
The story brings you through his particularly awful day: he is jostled in the hallways, unfairly punished for a fight in the cafeteria, is kicked out of class, and has many more things happen to him that eventually push him over the edge: at the end of the day, he shoves his former best friend down the stairs, nearly killing him. When he gets home, he takes his mom's pills, but wakes up the next morning, like nothing ever happened.
I automatically began to sympathize with this character, and saw that he was being treated unfairly and that it must be completely horrible to lose everything after the death of his brother.
But then things start to get more interesting.... and even more confusing.
The day that has just been played out repeats itself, with some differences, yet none too major. Justin starts to notice little things that he never noticed before, little details that if he had noticed the first time, some of the actions of the day before wouldn't have even happened. And there's still that voice that he talks to all the time... the story just grows more confusing.
But the plot keeps pulling you in, and it won't let you go. Never once did I consider dropping this book: I read it all within a few hours, I just couldn't put it down.
Anyways, the same day repeats itself again, for the third time. By this time Justin is irritable to everything, and begins to snap at people and grows more and more of a frustrating character.
In the beginning, I mentioned that I sympathized with him, but after awhile it seems that as he pieces little moments and actions together, he realizes that he was playing the victim card before, when really, most of the fights/arguments/etc were actually started by him. For example, in the cafeteria, he believes that his ex-best friend Billy had been bullying another student, but as he repeats the incident again, he realizes it was just Billy fooling around with his little brother for fun. Therefore, if he had noticed it before, he would have never started fighting with Billy in the cafeteria. With his new found perceptiveness, Justin realizes he was the one who dropped all of his friends, not the other way around.
At this point I was thinking, "Is this book just going to be the same day repeating itself over and over again?" And then I pondered that for a second and continued to read, because I realized I wouldn't care if that's all the book was... it was interesting either way.
I thought once he realized that the whole world wasn't against him, he would start trying to right his wrongs, but nope. The same thing happens at the end of the school day: Justin shoves his ex-friend down the stairs, and almost kills him. This time, things happen a little differently though. When he reaches home, instead of just swallowing the entire bottle of pills like the first two times, he actually realizes what he's done. He says to the voice in his head that he killed them both, I assume referring to Mark and Billy, and the voice responds by saying, "No Justin. The only person you really tried to kill was yourself."
That's when the realization hit me... or at least I thought it did. I thought he had just been predicting stuff for the actual time it happened, that the first two times he recounted the day were just preparing him for the third day. Boy, was I wrong!
It turned out that the voice in his head was a psychiatrist, and he had been helping get over the day of the accident by making him replay the day over and over again in some kind of hypnotherapy.
Seriously, that was a plot twist that I never could have guessed.
I'm going to end the review here, because I think you should read the book yourself to find out what happens. It's definitely worth the read, whether you're thirteen or thirty, and I can not express how much I love this book. It's suspenseful and thrilling, mysterious and unique and just so damn realistic.
This story is one of the best I have read in years: it's real, it's raw and it ropes you in right away.
-eea
June 23, 2024
This book should really be put in the genre of psychological thriller. I mistook the narrative devices used for bad writing in the beginning and almost abandoned the book entirely which would have been sad because the way the story unfolds is genuinely unique!
October 14, 2017
Quick, fast-paced, depressing... Masterpiece! Absolutely beautiful.
May 27, 2018
This story was sad but really moving.
April 6, 2020
great short read about schizophrenia
August 8, 2020
I really enjoyed this book even though it is "for younger readers".
December 6, 2020
TW: gun, violence, PTSD
December 1, 2022
Good, I guess. I mean it sounded good at first, then when his memory situations in Justin's head kept repeating, it got really annoying.
June 14, 2014
This review is probably going to be biased because this is the first "good" book I've read in a long, long time. Either way, I had to make a new shelf just for this book. "almost-perfect". Or "it-was-really-good-but-then-you-went-and-messed-it-all-up-:)" Seriously. I thought this was going to be my first five star rating in about a year, but NOPE. So on we go with the real review, kay?
First of is my favorite thing: diction. When I started out reading this, I was kind of underwhelmed with the diction. But I did realize that I am rather picky when it comes to diction. I won't take into account the fact that it's a young adult book, because I've seen better in juvenile books (No, I won't talk about "Coraline" again... for now). I do understand that the author was going for a quick-paced text, so the lack of eloquent phrasing can be admitted. I still feel like it could have been better at many places, but understand I'm not looking for overly flowery language. Oh please no.
This novel is certainly better than "Pretties" (Scott Westerfeld) when it comes to the usage of rhetorical devices, but it certainly is not "Coraline". The fact the author felt to include scenes from the classroom confused me at first, but I understood why soon enough. The analogy between "Lolita" and the novel was nicely executed with the unreliable narrator response. However, the analogy with MacBeth and Justin was a bit blatant.
One of my favorite things about the novel is the way each chapter ended. I finished this book so much quicker than I had originally planned to because it kept pulling me in for more. I would find myself reading for much longer times than I had originally allotted myself because the author really knows how to keep her readers interested! The end of each chapter felt like a cliffhanger at the end of a television drama episode so I kept on reading to find out what happens next. I rarely ever have this experience when reading realistic fiction so that's some bonus points on this test!
I also loved all the mini plot twists in the novel. The suspense was high, and the outcomes were always unpredictable. I didn't pay too much attention in the summary so the epilogue was a surprise for me. Also, from the mini plot twists with Daniel to the surprising fact of which day was being relived, I found myself surprised many times.
So you see dear reader, I was very pleased with this book. It was the first book I enjoyed in a long time and I thought I'd finally be able to add a new novel to my coveted "books-I-ah-dored" self. But no. The ending was garbage.
Wow, that was pretty rough. I'm not normally that type of critic. But I can't hold it in. It was pure garbage.
REALLY? A FLIPPIN' HYPNOTIST? W.T.F.???
Okay, I think I understand what the author was going for. "Don't make it something stupid! People need to take this book seriously so it has to be something real!" NEWS FLASH: hypnotists aren't real! Monsters that exist in your head are real. Demons that haunt your life are real. Hypnotists? Not so much.
I was thinking the Voice was actually Mark haunting Justin, or just a little demonic version of himself. I guess Morgenroth got her plot twist in, albeit a stupid one. I can't help seeing that the message being sent out here is that it takes a non-existent hypnotist to heal you from ptsd. Why couldn't the message be something more like "only YOU can defeat your demons!" and have Justin completely overcome the Voice in a tussle. Or have the voice actually be a good guy and he confronts Justin?? Or if the author wanted us to know to seek help, Justin could have finally called someone rather than ODing on the last day.
I DON'T KNOW! JUST ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE HYPNOTIST GARBAGE.
I was so upset because I had such high hopes for this novel leading up to this. Demons who haunt the minds of the mentally unstable are 10000% more real than hypnotists and people should learn to overcome their pain rather than seeking out the impossible for solace.
Kelsey OUT!
First of is my favorite thing: diction. When I started out reading this, I was kind of underwhelmed with the diction. But I did realize that I am rather picky when it comes to diction. I won't take into account the fact that it's a young adult book, because I've seen better in juvenile books (No, I won't talk about "Coraline" again... for now). I do understand that the author was going for a quick-paced text, so the lack of eloquent phrasing can be admitted. I still feel like it could have been better at many places, but understand I'm not looking for overly flowery language. Oh please no.
This novel is certainly better than "Pretties" (Scott Westerfeld) when it comes to the usage of rhetorical devices, but it certainly is not "Coraline". The fact the author felt to include scenes from the classroom confused me at first, but I understood why soon enough. The analogy between "Lolita" and the novel was nicely executed with the unreliable narrator response. However, the analogy with MacBeth and Justin was a bit blatant.
One of my favorite things about the novel is the way each chapter ended. I finished this book so much quicker than I had originally planned to because it kept pulling me in for more. I would find myself reading for much longer times than I had originally allotted myself because the author really knows how to keep her readers interested! The end of each chapter felt like a cliffhanger at the end of a television drama episode so I kept on reading to find out what happens next. I rarely ever have this experience when reading realistic fiction so that's some bonus points on this test!
I also loved all the mini plot twists in the novel. The suspense was high, and the outcomes were always unpredictable. I didn't pay too much attention in the summary so the epilogue was a surprise for me. Also, from the mini plot twists with Daniel to the surprising fact of which day was being relived, I found myself surprised many times.
So you see dear reader, I was very pleased with this book. It was the first book I enjoyed in a long time and I thought I'd finally be able to add a new novel to my coveted "books-I-ah-dored" self. But no. The ending was garbage.
Wow, that was pretty rough. I'm not normally that type of critic. But I can't hold it in. It was pure garbage.
REALLY? A FLIPPIN' HYPNOTIST? W.T.F.???
Okay, I think I understand what the author was going for. "Don't make it something stupid! People need to take this book seriously so it has to be something real!" NEWS FLASH: hypnotists aren't real! Monsters that exist in your head are real. Demons that haunt your life are real. Hypnotists? Not so much.
I was thinking the Voice was actually Mark haunting Justin, or just a little demonic version of himself. I guess Morgenroth got her plot twist in, albeit a stupid one. I can't help seeing that the message being sent out here is that it takes a non-existent hypnotist to heal you from ptsd. Why couldn't the message be something more like "only YOU can defeat your demons!" and have Justin completely overcome the Voice in a tussle. Or have the voice actually be a good guy and he confronts Justin?? Or if the author wanted us to know to seek help, Justin could have finally called someone rather than ODing on the last day.
I DON'T KNOW! JUST ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE HYPNOTIST GARBAGE.
I was so upset because I had such high hopes for this novel leading up to this. Demons who haunt the minds of the mentally unstable are 10000% more real than hypnotists and people should learn to overcome their pain rather than seeking out the impossible for solace.
Kelsey OUT!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2014
Reading this book was dreadful; not only because I'm not a fan of reading books, but the story line dragged and didn't really have a point. Some people have hyped up the author who wrote is book as "Brilliant, lovely, and thrilling", but I feel like she's written better work than this book for her to own up to those titles.
The main character Justin was once a well known student around his school. He was a popular school athlete, had one of the prettiest girls in the school, and had friends. All of this changed until his brother got into an "accident". Now he's a loner/nobody that gets talked about around his community, and gets weird looks from others claiming he's a monster. Even his own parents, specifically his mother, looks at him as a disowned person for what he did.
A year after the "accident" Justin is accompanied by a voice in his head from his own conscious that makes his thinking clear and is the only thing that hasn't turned its back on Justin. It asks him questions about what goes on through his daily life and it makes his decision making clearer. Through out the story Justin has an echoing/repeating effect with the same situations he's encountered before. Such as the school bully taunts Justin to tell the truth about the "accident" and make him realize what he did. His bitch of an ex-girlfriend, who smokes a pack of cigarets a day to relieve her anxiety and stress, teases Justin by giving him various looks and not-so-surprising encounters to give him the message that she still has feelings for her . Which first of all is such a bitch move to mess with peoples feelings. Second, the word that is stuck in my head is the repetitive word "asshole" that Justins ex girlfriend called him over & over again when she didn't get her way with him. Lastly Justin and his parents act like complete strangers at home. Living in a sorrow household, filled with unspoken words that really want to come out about the "accident", and the tension of the tragic memory of the "accident" that happened a year ago.
In all Justin feels everyday is another repeat of the same day, but it's an oppertunity for him to redo certain situations to make them right.
The book was kind of interesting, becasue we see the main character struggle with guilt and he's constantly reminded about what he did everyday by the same thing(s). So to see someone struggle with guillt, feel responsible for it, and feel llike you're alone in the world is relatable. This book shows you can always reedem yourself in life day after day no matter what struggle you put up with.
Here's why I didn't like the book, the repeating of the same situations Justin faced everyday was boring. Like I new what was going to happen with his ex-girlfiend every 2 chapters with the same setting and the same word "asshole" she uses to call Justin. I expected a better ending about how Justin finds comfort about his guiltyness, and find peace along with his family for his brothers "accident". I even expected him and his ex-girlfiend to get back together and Justin going back to being a popula athlete in his school. Instead it ends with another repeated incident Justin had with the school bully.
I would honestly give this book 2 out of 5 stars because it's somewhat interesting to see how someone copes with guilt, but didn't deserve the other 3 stars because there was no point in "echoing" the same scenes with the same people Justin interacts with. Overall, if you're looking for a short book to read this is your books. With 2 pages per chapter you'll get a little bored because nothing really exciting happens in 2 pages. So as you read this book it feels like each chapter was rushed to get to the point of the chapter to follow the storyline.
The main character Justin was once a well known student around his school. He was a popular school athlete, had one of the prettiest girls in the school, and had friends. All of this changed until his brother got into an "accident". Now he's a loner/nobody that gets talked about around his community, and gets weird looks from others claiming he's a monster. Even his own parents, specifically his mother, looks at him as a disowned person for what he did.
A year after the "accident" Justin is accompanied by a voice in his head from his own conscious that makes his thinking clear and is the only thing that hasn't turned its back on Justin. It asks him questions about what goes on through his daily life and it makes his decision making clearer. Through out the story Justin has an echoing/repeating effect with the same situations he's encountered before. Such as the school bully taunts Justin to tell the truth about the "accident" and make him realize what he did. His bitch of an ex-girlfriend, who smokes a pack of cigarets a day to relieve her anxiety and stress, teases Justin by giving him various looks and not-so-surprising encounters to give him the message that she still has feelings for her . Which first of all is such a bitch move to mess with peoples feelings. Second, the word that is stuck in my head is the repetitive word "asshole" that Justins ex girlfriend called him over & over again when she didn't get her way with him. Lastly Justin and his parents act like complete strangers at home. Living in a sorrow household, filled with unspoken words that really want to come out about the "accident", and the tension of the tragic memory of the "accident" that happened a year ago.
In all Justin feels everyday is another repeat of the same day, but it's an oppertunity for him to redo certain situations to make them right.
The book was kind of interesting, becasue we see the main character struggle with guilt and he's constantly reminded about what he did everyday by the same thing(s). So to see someone struggle with guillt, feel responsible for it, and feel llike you're alone in the world is relatable. This book shows you can always reedem yourself in life day after day no matter what struggle you put up with.
Here's why I didn't like the book, the repeating of the same situations Justin faced everyday was boring. Like I new what was going to happen with his ex-girlfiend every 2 chapters with the same setting and the same word "asshole" she uses to call Justin. I expected a better ending about how Justin finds comfort about his guiltyness, and find peace along with his family for his brothers "accident". I even expected him and his ex-girlfiend to get back together and Justin going back to being a popula athlete in his school. Instead it ends with another repeated incident Justin had with the school bully.
I would honestly give this book 2 out of 5 stars because it's somewhat interesting to see how someone copes with guilt, but didn't deserve the other 3 stars because there was no point in "echoing" the same scenes with the same people Justin interacts with. Overall, if you're looking for a short book to read this is your books. With 2 pages per chapter you'll get a little bored because nothing really exciting happens in 2 pages. So as you read this book it feels like each chapter was rushed to get to the point of the chapter to follow the storyline.
December 13, 2015
I really liked this book!
Justin was the school athlete, the guy with a beautiful girlfriend, the star popular guy, everything you could think of. All of this changes in an instant. His brother Mark, dies in a horrible accident, and everyone is convinced that Justin is a psycho path murdurer. Justin wanders around the school halls, empty inside, but somedays he feels like he's reliving his past ghosts. And he can't figure out what's real and what's just an illusion.
Wowza. This book was awesome. I loved the start, the end, the in between, all of it, I'm not really sure where to start.
Ok well I've figured out a place to start! I'm going to talk about the repeating scenarios. It was a really cool way to give the readers of a book a really awesome lesson. There's no point in imagining all those whatifs. You can't change what happened, no matter what. The best thing you can do is try to get past whatever happened, and amend your past mistakes.
I was kinda really confused with the voice and the repeating scenes at first. I thought that the voice that was in Justin's head was the part that was the illusion that justin couldn't differentiate. But then in the last few chapters when I figured out that it was Dr Ryden, I was just like, OH. The ending was a little bit brilliant.
The repeating scenes surprised me alot. Usually, anything repetitive gets boring. And since it was repeating, I would feel like the book is dragging on too long, I don't like it when books take long to get on. But every single time, I was still entranced. Kate Morgenroth has magic fingers. I know I don't like repetitiveness, because a music teacher showed us the movie Groundhog Day, and by the second time the guys day repeated, I was already bored out of my mind. That movie sucked. But this book definitely did not suck!
I read this book because I was browsing on goodreads. I didn't have anything to read, and I was procrastinating from my homework. I had a mystery book at home, so I ended up in the mystery part of Goodreads, and I found Jude by Kate Morgenroth, which I have yet to read. This one was awesome so Jude is a for sure read in the future. Anyways, I looked fro Jude on the library website and this popped up. I picked it because I thought the cover looked nice, and it turned out to be a total gem!
I finished the book, because I wanted to know what happened to Justin after. He did the same things over and over, but the end result was always the same, so I wanted to know about the aftermath of all of the things he did. I also wanted to figure out what the voice was, and why everything kept on repeating, I was super confused as to why Justin was just accepting everything happening to him, up until the end when he broke down.
I would recommend this to people who want to read a good Young Adult book. I really really really liked it! It was dark, but I think that helped make it bettee
Justin was the school athlete, the guy with a beautiful girlfriend, the star popular guy, everything you could think of. All of this changes in an instant. His brother Mark, dies in a horrible accident, and everyone is convinced that Justin is a psycho path murdurer. Justin wanders around the school halls, empty inside, but somedays he feels like he's reliving his past ghosts. And he can't figure out what's real and what's just an illusion.
Wowza. This book was awesome. I loved the start, the end, the in between, all of it, I'm not really sure where to start.
Ok well I've figured out a place to start! I'm going to talk about the repeating scenarios. It was a really cool way to give the readers of a book a really awesome lesson. There's no point in imagining all those whatifs. You can't change what happened, no matter what. The best thing you can do is try to get past whatever happened, and amend your past mistakes.
I was kinda really confused with the voice and the repeating scenes at first. I thought that the voice that was in Justin's head was the part that was the illusion that justin couldn't differentiate. But then in the last few chapters when I figured out that it was Dr Ryden, I was just like, OH. The ending was a little bit brilliant.
The repeating scenes surprised me alot. Usually, anything repetitive gets boring. And since it was repeating, I would feel like the book is dragging on too long, I don't like it when books take long to get on. But every single time, I was still entranced. Kate Morgenroth has magic fingers. I know I don't like repetitiveness, because a music teacher showed us the movie Groundhog Day, and by the second time the guys day repeated, I was already bored out of my mind. That movie sucked. But this book definitely did not suck!
I read this book because I was browsing on goodreads. I didn't have anything to read, and I was procrastinating from my homework. I had a mystery book at home, so I ended up in the mystery part of Goodreads, and I found Jude by Kate Morgenroth, which I have yet to read. This one was awesome so Jude is a for sure read in the future. Anyways, I looked fro Jude on the library website and this popped up. I picked it because I thought the cover looked nice, and it turned out to be a total gem!
I finished the book, because I wanted to know what happened to Justin after. He did the same things over and over, but the end result was always the same, so I wanted to know about the aftermath of all of the things he did. I also wanted to figure out what the voice was, and why everything kept on repeating, I was super confused as to why Justin was just accepting everything happening to him, up until the end when he broke down.
I would recommend this to people who want to read a good Young Adult book. I really really really liked it! It was dark, but I think that helped make it bettee
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 27, 2010
At only 137 pages this book was a very fast paced read. I read the whole thing yesterday. This book was intense. The whole time I was reading I was nervous about what was going to happen next.
The book starts with the main character Justin, 15, and his brother Mark, 12 home alone and bored because their mom has locked up the TV in order to keep them from sitting in front of it while she is at work. Mark wants to watch his favorite show and is determined to break the lock off of the cabinet. The first chapter ends with a horrible accident and Mark is killed in front of his brother.
The next chapter begins exactly one year later on the anniversary of Mark's death. Justin has not be functioning well at all since his brothers death and now he is hearing a voice in his head just to make matters worse. Both of Justin's parents appear to blame him for his brothers death and hate him for it. The kids at school have targeted Justin, once a popular athlete, as an outcast and murderer. Justin's best friend Billy and ex-girlfriend Megan are the ones who continually make his life miserable on a daily basis. The cruelty that Justin suffers both at home and in school is very intense, almost over the top, but that was the authors point. The day ends with a final confrontation between Billy and Justin and Justin making a horrible decision, but given the circumstances you can't blame him for what he does.
This is where I thought the book was going to get boring - I was WRONG!! In the next part the voice in Justin's head forces him to wake - up, as it does every morning. As Justin goes downstairs to breakfast he realizes that he is living the same day over - the one year anniversary of Mark's death. Justin thinks he has a chance to make things right, but that is not what is happening. The point is for Justin to see subtle differences in the people around him and in his own actions that he did not notice the first time. A more complete story begins to emerge, but the truth does not come out yet. The voice forces Justin to go through the day one last time. What actually happened that day is far different than what Justin had originally thought.
Rereading the same day over again twice was anything but boring. The author writes with such emotion that you actually can't wait to find out how it is going to end and what really happened on this day in Justin's life.
I really liked this one. Although it starts out as a typical teen with a tragic life - becomes an outcast book, it takes a total turn and becomes something unique and engrossing. The characters, who begin as shallow forms, evolve into deep and multi-dimensional people. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast, intense read.
The book starts with the main character Justin, 15, and his brother Mark, 12 home alone and bored because their mom has locked up the TV in order to keep them from sitting in front of it while she is at work. Mark wants to watch his favorite show and is determined to break the lock off of the cabinet. The first chapter ends with a horrible accident and Mark is killed in front of his brother.
The next chapter begins exactly one year later on the anniversary of Mark's death. Justin has not be functioning well at all since his brothers death and now he is hearing a voice in his head just to make matters worse. Both of Justin's parents appear to blame him for his brothers death and hate him for it. The kids at school have targeted Justin, once a popular athlete, as an outcast and murderer. Justin's best friend Billy and ex-girlfriend Megan are the ones who continually make his life miserable on a daily basis. The cruelty that Justin suffers both at home and in school is very intense, almost over the top, but that was the authors point. The day ends with a final confrontation between Billy and Justin and Justin making a horrible decision, but given the circumstances you can't blame him for what he does.
This is where I thought the book was going to get boring - I was WRONG!! In the next part the voice in Justin's head forces him to wake - up, as it does every morning. As Justin goes downstairs to breakfast he realizes that he is living the same day over - the one year anniversary of Mark's death. Justin thinks he has a chance to make things right, but that is not what is happening. The point is for Justin to see subtle differences in the people around him and in his own actions that he did not notice the first time. A more complete story begins to emerge, but the truth does not come out yet. The voice forces Justin to go through the day one last time. What actually happened that day is far different than what Justin had originally thought.
Rereading the same day over again twice was anything but boring. The author writes with such emotion that you actually can't wait to find out how it is going to end and what really happened on this day in Justin's life.
I really liked this one. Although it starts out as a typical teen with a tragic life - becomes an outcast book, it takes a total turn and becomes something unique and engrossing. The characters, who begin as shallow forms, evolve into deep and multi-dimensional people. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast, intense read.
April 16, 2015
This month, I read Echo by Kate Morgenroth. It is about a boy named Justin whose brother dies within the first chapter of the book. The story then continues on with Justin’s life after the accident. Justin is a defensive kid who gets in trouble a lot at school and is angry with his parents. Morgenroth shows this with Justin’s actions throughout the day, while Justin justifies his actions with what the voice in his head says is okay. Morgenroth plays the same day over three times in a row in Echo, without any explanation as to why they are repeating. Yet, in each day, there are minor details that change.
When reading Echo, the word I would use to describe it would be weird. You read the same day over three times and wonder why it is repeating and changing. When at the end of the day, Justin tries to kill himself, it is a plot twist. You can tell something is wrong because not only there is a voice talking to him, but his is depressed about his brother’s death. But, you do not expect Justin to kill himself.
I really enjoyed this book, even though I did not understand it at some parts. It had me feeling confused so that I wanted to read more to figure out what was happening. At one point, Justin visits the principle then goes to class, then proceeds to go to the prop room to meet his ex-girlfriend. But the ‘next day’ the story changes;
“Somehow that was just too much. Justin couldn’t take the sympathy. It seemed to release the huge ocean of emotion that he was barely managing to keep contained.
He turned back and gave the principle the finger.
Then he pulled open the door . . . and stepped straight into the prop room behind the auditorium.” (Morgenroth 115).
You can tell something weird is going on because the story has changed although it is technically the same day. This is where the reader could tell something was going on. I believe this gave a hint as to what the ending was.
The ending was the biggest plot twist, and that is why I liked this book so much. The ending of this book brought everything. It made sense of what actually happened, and why the day was repeating over and over. I’ve decided that when I read a book, I want to be surprised. I don’t want the plot to be predictable. That is what makes a good book to me, so that is why I enjoyed reading Echo.
January 7, 2008
ECHO is a tragic and heart-wrenching tale of loss and one brother's experience of dealing with the post-traumatic stress following the incident that takes his younger brother's life.
It's been a year since Justin's younger brother, Mark, died from an accidental gun shot to the head. Both boys were watching TV in their parents' bedroom and started rough housing over the control of the remote control. Justin was easily able to overpower Mark because of his increased size and strength. In retaliation, Mark reached into their parents' bedside table and retrieved a handgun and jokingly pointed it at Justin, demanding him to hand over the remote. Justin, knowing Mark is kidding blows the demand off and continues watching TV. Mark decides to put the gun to his own head and say, "If you don't change the channel, I'm gonna kill the kid," in a gruff voice. Justin replies, "Be my guest." The next thing he knows the gun goes off and blood is spattered all over him and his brother dies in front of him.
The remainder of the story takes place while Justin goes through the motions of getting through the 1 year anniversary of Mark's death. The reader goes through it with Justin as he relives it three days in a row. All the while, Justin is prompted by a voice in his head that offers encouragement and motivation to continue the heart-breaking day. The story is like the movie Groundhog Day without ANY of the comedy. Each day Justin sees things a little bit differently that allows him to have a clearer picture of what happened. Even with the small changes he makes during the day, the end result is always the same. Justin's ex-best-friend, Billy, falls down the stairs at school.
The reader will feel the pain Justin feels as he makes his way back from post-traumatic stress syndrome. ECHO is another wonderful story by Kate Morgenroth. If you haven't become familiar with her as an author yet, this is the time.
It's been a year since Justin's younger brother, Mark, died from an accidental gun shot to the head. Both boys were watching TV in their parents' bedroom and started rough housing over the control of the remote control. Justin was easily able to overpower Mark because of his increased size and strength. In retaliation, Mark reached into their parents' bedside table and retrieved a handgun and jokingly pointed it at Justin, demanding him to hand over the remote. Justin, knowing Mark is kidding blows the demand off and continues watching TV. Mark decides to put the gun to his own head and say, "If you don't change the channel, I'm gonna kill the kid," in a gruff voice. Justin replies, "Be my guest." The next thing he knows the gun goes off and blood is spattered all over him and his brother dies in front of him.
The remainder of the story takes place while Justin goes through the motions of getting through the 1 year anniversary of Mark's death. The reader goes through it with Justin as he relives it three days in a row. All the while, Justin is prompted by a voice in his head that offers encouragement and motivation to continue the heart-breaking day. The story is like the movie Groundhog Day without ANY of the comedy. Each day Justin sees things a little bit differently that allows him to have a clearer picture of what happened. Even with the small changes he makes during the day, the end result is always the same. Justin's ex-best-friend, Billy, falls down the stairs at school.
The reader will feel the pain Justin feels as he makes his way back from post-traumatic stress syndrome. ECHO is another wonderful story by Kate Morgenroth. If you haven't become familiar with her as an author yet, this is the time.
Read
July 15, 2010I came to this book much like the typical teenaged reluctant reader. I saw a bold, clean, somewhat mysterious cover. I was curious. I picked it up and saw it was under 200 pages. SOLD!
The story starts in a prologue. Two brothers, older Justin and younger Mark, are lazily passing time after school. Mom and Dad are still at work. Mom has taken to locking up the TV in a cabinet because Mark watches too much. Mark is quite fidgety this day and ends up breaking into Mom & Dad’s room to watch their TV. Justin follows, ‘cause what else is there to do? He commandeers the remote in a typical big brother fashion. Mark pulls out Dad’s handgun from the bedside drawer and jokingly tries a "stick-up" to get the remote back. Unfortunately, the gun goes off after Mark had changed tactics and put the gun towards his own head.
Needless to say, things aren’t the same in the house ever again.
Flash forward a year. Justin is sleepwalking through his days and occasionally hears voices in his head spurring on his day-to-day actions. His friends are gone. His parents act removed. He can’t figure it out. We are walked through one excruciating day where he gets into a fight with his former best friend, his former girlfriend calls him names while simultaneously flirting with him, all culminating in yet another deadly accident and suicide.
Justin drifts off…wakes up…it’s that same day all over again. He’ll live this pivotal day three times, in three different ways, but each time it ends with the same results (physical and emotional confrontation, horrible tragedy).
A gripping suspense story for teen reluctant readers, or just those that want a fast read. --Jason
From ICPL Staff Picks Blog
The story starts in a prologue. Two brothers, older Justin and younger Mark, are lazily passing time after school. Mom and Dad are still at work. Mom has taken to locking up the TV in a cabinet because Mark watches too much. Mark is quite fidgety this day and ends up breaking into Mom & Dad’s room to watch their TV. Justin follows, ‘cause what else is there to do? He commandeers the remote in a typical big brother fashion. Mark pulls out Dad’s handgun from the bedside drawer and jokingly tries a "stick-up" to get the remote back. Unfortunately, the gun goes off after Mark had changed tactics and put the gun towards his own head.
Needless to say, things aren’t the same in the house ever again.
Flash forward a year. Justin is sleepwalking through his days and occasionally hears voices in his head spurring on his day-to-day actions. His friends are gone. His parents act removed. He can’t figure it out. We are walked through one excruciating day where he gets into a fight with his former best friend, his former girlfriend calls him names while simultaneously flirting with him, all culminating in yet another deadly accident and suicide.
Justin drifts off…wakes up…it’s that same day all over again. He’ll live this pivotal day three times, in three different ways, but each time it ends with the same results (physical and emotional confrontation, horrible tragedy).
A gripping suspense story for teen reluctant readers, or just those that want a fast read. --Jason
From ICPL Staff Picks Blog
November 18, 2012
Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com
It's never easy to lose a sibling. When you actually see your younger brother die in front of you, though, it's even worse.
That's what happened when Justin, playing around with his twelve-year-old brother, Mark, saw his brother accidentally shoot himself in the head with their father's gun. For almost a year now, Justin has been plagued by ever-increasing problems. The guilt is horrible, as are the questions that keep running through his mind: Was Mark's death his fault? Did Mark really shoot himself by accident?
Although Justin is supposed to be on medication to help with his depression, he's stopped taking it. There's a voice inside his head that makes him relive his brother's death over and over again on a daily basis. His mother is alternately hostile and nonchalant towards her remaining son. His father doesn't have much to say beyond "don't upset your mother." In this family, guilt is a constant, nagging reminder of what could have been, and what is instead.
Ms. Morgenroth is great at creating realistic situations and characters that pull at the heartstrings. Although you can see this family breaking down inside the pages of ECHO, it's not immediately clear how each family member is dealing with Mark's death -- or, rather, not dealing with it.
I recommend this book for older teens, especially those who have dealt with loss and/or depression. ECHO is a psychological thriller that you won't want to miss.
It's never easy to lose a sibling. When you actually see your younger brother die in front of you, though, it's even worse.
That's what happened when Justin, playing around with his twelve-year-old brother, Mark, saw his brother accidentally shoot himself in the head with their father's gun. For almost a year now, Justin has been plagued by ever-increasing problems. The guilt is horrible, as are the questions that keep running through his mind: Was Mark's death his fault? Did Mark really shoot himself by accident?
Although Justin is supposed to be on medication to help with his depression, he's stopped taking it. There's a voice inside his head that makes him relive his brother's death over and over again on a daily basis. His mother is alternately hostile and nonchalant towards her remaining son. His father doesn't have much to say beyond "don't upset your mother." In this family, guilt is a constant, nagging reminder of what could have been, and what is instead.
Ms. Morgenroth is great at creating realistic situations and characters that pull at the heartstrings. Although you can see this family breaking down inside the pages of ECHO, it's not immediately clear how each family member is dealing with Mark's death -- or, rather, not dealing with it.
I recommend this book for older teens, especially those who have dealt with loss and/or depression. ECHO is a psychological thriller that you won't want to miss.
February 14, 2015
This book was OK. I thought the concept was interesting but the execution of the story could have been better. This book is basically about a boy named Justin who relives his one year anniversary of brothers accidental death. Justin goes throughout the book reliving a horrible day at school over and over again. Each time some details of the day are altered to help the reader get an idea of what is going in Justin's mind. The first time Justin goes through the day I thought it was interesting, especially since it ends in a horrible cliff hanger like moment. But, as he goes through the day a second and third time I got a little bit bored with the story. I know that the author has Justin relive the day to prove a point of some kind, but I couldn't see what point she was trying to prove. Maybe it had something to do with understanding the reality of the events in Justin's life. Although this story didn't hold my attention for very long I still enjoyed the concept. There is definitely a theme of realizing the difference between illusion and reality, and I liked seeing how the voice in Justin's head changed in it's level of involvement throughout the story. I enjoyed the ending of this book I thought it did a good job of wrapping up the story and providing the reader with a since of closure. Overall this book was a fast and easy read that I would give 3/5 stars.
November 5, 2011
Whoever said size matters?
Though only 137 pages long, Echo by Kate Morgenroth is one of the best psychological tales I've read so far. The story begins with Justin and his younger brother, Mark, just playing around the way children do, until something goes horribly wrong and Justin's ends up drenched in the blood of his younger brother now lying lifelessly on the floor. Skip forward a year and you again meet Justin, well at least what is left of him, speaking to an unknown voice-not person just voice.
As the story proceeds on you see the effects that Mark's death has left. Justin, now broken and alone, walks us through a typical day at school confronted with the people he suspects blame him for his brother's death. just when you think that you've figured it out,you get the strangest feeling of de ja vu... The story begins over. Only this time its not The World against Justin. The same day but differing details allows the reader to see that everything is not as it originally appeared. Could it be that Justin has contributed to his own unhappy miserable state? Once more de ja vu... the day begins again. As you see this perspective of Justin's life, you begin to understand that Justin may very well be the antagonizer, not the victim.
Though only 137 pages long, Echo by Kate Morgenroth is one of the best psychological tales I've read so far. The story begins with Justin and his younger brother, Mark, just playing around the way children do, until something goes horribly wrong and Justin's ends up drenched in the blood of his younger brother now lying lifelessly on the floor. Skip forward a year and you again meet Justin, well at least what is left of him, speaking to an unknown voice-not person just voice.
As the story proceeds on you see the effects that Mark's death has left. Justin, now broken and alone, walks us through a typical day at school confronted with the people he suspects blame him for his brother's death. just when you think that you've figured it out,you get the strangest feeling of de ja vu... The story begins over. Only this time its not The World against Justin. The same day but differing details allows the reader to see that everything is not as it originally appeared. Could it be that Justin has contributed to his own unhappy miserable state? Once more de ja vu... the day begins again. As you see this perspective of Justin's life, you begin to understand that Justin may very well be the antagonizer, not the victim.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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