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Saving Allison
At the difficult age of 14, Allison Perkins is ready to give it all up.
Throughout school Allison had always been on the thinner side, battling with her weight in a war she couldn't win. Her classmates were as cruel as you'd expect—choosing to ignore her existence or, when they did notice her, taunting her mercilessly.
Deciding that a short drop and a quick stop is the only solution, she ties the noose, climbs the ladder, and prepares to meet her end.
She hadn't expected Jordan—her 18-year-old guardian angel—to show up and free her from the noose. Jordan shows Allison glimpses of the future—of what might be, if she lived, and what would come if she didn't. Knowing what she now knows, Jordan gives her the greatest gift: the choice to live, with the possibility of the future she saw; or to die here, alone, swinging from a noose.
Can Allison believe the visions that Jordan shows her, and continue living with the relentless nature of her peers? Can she really take that final step, and end her own life after all? Leaps of faith are much more difficult than leaps of fate.
Throughout school Allison had always been on the thinner side, battling with her weight in a war she couldn't win. Her classmates were as cruel as you'd expect—choosing to ignore her existence or, when they did notice her, taunting her mercilessly.
Deciding that a short drop and a quick stop is the only solution, she ties the noose, climbs the ladder, and prepares to meet her end.
She hadn't expected Jordan—her 18-year-old guardian angel—to show up and free her from the noose. Jordan shows Allison glimpses of the future—of what might be, if she lived, and what would come if she didn't. Knowing what she now knows, Jordan gives her the greatest gift: the choice to live, with the possibility of the future she saw; or to die here, alone, swinging from a noose.
Can Allison believe the visions that Jordan shows her, and continue living with the relentless nature of her peers? Can she really take that final step, and end her own life after all? Leaps of faith are much more difficult than leaps of fate.
- GenresYoung Adult
78 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 22, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 1, 2021
This book is absolutely heartbreaking.
The book opens with 14-year old Ali preparing to carry out her plan of committing suicide. At the last possible moment, she is rescued by Jordan, her guardian angel. Jordan shows her glimpses of her life past.
Then we learn she was bullied at school. Then, horribly, she was raped, which sent her into depression and into a state of crisis.
Then he showed her the aftermath of her suicide and how much her life mattered. Then an alternative option is laid out for her. From surviving this attempt to living a fairy tale life where she gets everything she ever wanted. She would graduate, marry and have children of her own.
So everything turned out great, right?
It isn’t until Chapter 9 where we learn how wrong we have been. It is almost like everything that happened is an illusion. She has these visions while she is dying - in probable agony. (Hanging requires some degree of skill or the noose won’t break her neck , which would result in a slow and painful death.)
She realizes that she wants to live and tries to unsuccessfully to save herself.
The book opens with 14-year old Ali preparing to carry out her plan of committing suicide. At the last possible moment, she is rescued by Jordan, her guardian angel. Jordan shows her glimpses of her life past.
Then we learn she was bullied at school. Then, horribly, she was raped, which sent her into depression and into a state of crisis.
Then he showed her the aftermath of her suicide and how much her life mattered. Then an alternative option is laid out for her. From surviving this attempt to living a fairy tale life where she gets everything she ever wanted. She would graduate, marry and have children of her own.
So everything turned out great, right?
It isn’t until Chapter 9 where we learn how wrong we have been. It is almost like everything that happened is an illusion. She has these visions while she is dying - in probable agony. (Hanging requires some degree of skill or the noose won’t break her neck , which would result in a slow and painful death.)
She realizes that she wants to live and tries to unsuccessfully to save herself.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2016
Saving Allison is a book by J. Stoute which speaks the story of Allison Perkins. She's a fourteen year old girl who has been dealt some difficult cards. Having been battling with self image and bullying, she's decided to take her own life and we begin the book with the preparation for her suicide. As she hangs from a rope and begins to suffocate, Jordan steps in. He's a guardian angel who has come to talk some things over with her and to show her the life she might be missing out on if she continues.
The characters are interesting, but most are fairly stereotypical. The mother and father of Allison love her dearly and seem to do no wrong. The bullies in the book are said to do it for no reason (that people would trip her just to watch her fall) and, later on in life, they would experience hardships like one boy always regretting what he'd done to her (forever punishing himself, or something to that extent) and that the popular girl would get left with a child and get fat. I don't have much problem with the characters apart from them being stereotypical. I just think that we don't see enough of each character, other than Allison and her parents. Even with her friends, they're said to be really good friends to her, but the conversations we experience with them just seem really bland and don't seem as if they are friends. They just seem more like acquaintances in a forced situation (it’s explained that they only really hang out together because none of them fit in elsewhere). I think, had we spent more time with them, there might be a better feeling between them and they might seem friendlier. More on that point, I think that it just seems like even Allison doesn't care that much about them. When Jordan is discussing the friends' lives apart from her and their visit to her funeral, she's confused that they would be there or even care that she's gone. It just seems like even she didn't think that they were good friends. A lot of Allison's life was a bit generic (typical baby and growing up stuff) and I wish we'd have gotten more reason for the kids bullying her. It just seems like there was no reason at all and just doesn't make sense to me. I know kids can be cruel, but it just seems beyond ridiculous. Apart from those points, the characters were okay. Not brilliant and many actions just didn't make sense, but they were fine otherwise.
The plot reminds me a lot of A Christmas Carol, where she sees both the past, present and future of the situation and how her decisions can change such things. I think that she had a lot of other options, though. The choice she made, to commit suicide, was very extreme. A lot of her problems could have been solved, like Jordan tries to tell her, with simply talking to others. If she'd spoken to people, than a lot of her problems might have been fixed a lot sooner. The bullying could have been fixed by speaking to teachers who might have punished the other children. The bullying might have been fixed by changing schools or even by being home schooled (her mother was a stay at home mum so it's a reasonable idea). I think the author did a reasonable job of trying to put together a lot of reasons for Allison's suicide (bullying, body image, rape), but because of the way it's written, it just doesn't feel like she's committed to it and that this is what she wants. I guess that's the moral of the book, that you always have other options. However, in the same way, that's what's confusing about the book; the author doesn't really explain properly why Allison doesn't take these other options, beside the fact that she's kind of embarrassed and she thinks it's awkward to talk to people about her problems. One thing that does bother me is that, when Jordan shames her for what she's done to her parents and friends (by committing suicide), it feels like that's just the wrong thing to say. It's not really her fault that she's been having suicidal feelings and by trying to chastise her like that is just bound to make her feel worse about her life. I, personally, hate when people say things like that, though it's a fairly common for people to say to suicidal people (many people call them weak and selfish). Apart from those points, the plot was somewhat generic, but had some interesting points.
The following paragraph is about the ninth chapter and will be hidden because of spoilers.
It's a quick book and it only took me about an hour to read this morning. It's fairly sad, but if you stop at the happily ever after ending, it has a lighter and more hopeful feeling, I would imagine. It's a bit preachy and, in many cases, does seem like it puts down suicidal people (in my opinion). Though I appreciate the moral that it tries to teach, that there's always other options and things you can do. Overall, it was alright, but I didn't necessarily enjoy it. As mentioned above, I didn't think that it was particularly original in either plot or characters. However, it was a decent book and I think some people might be helped by the story, even if I'm not.
I won a copy of this book via a First Reads giveaway and these are just my honest thoughts on it.
The characters are interesting, but most are fairly stereotypical. The mother and father of Allison love her dearly and seem to do no wrong. The bullies in the book are said to do it for no reason (that people would trip her just to watch her fall) and, later on in life, they would experience hardships like one boy always regretting what he'd done to her (forever punishing himself, or something to that extent) and that the popular girl would get left with a child and get fat. I don't have much problem with the characters apart from them being stereotypical. I just think that we don't see enough of each character, other than Allison and her parents. Even with her friends, they're said to be really good friends to her, but the conversations we experience with them just seem really bland and don't seem as if they are friends. They just seem more like acquaintances in a forced situation (it’s explained that they only really hang out together because none of them fit in elsewhere). I think, had we spent more time with them, there might be a better feeling between them and they might seem friendlier. More on that point, I think that it just seems like even Allison doesn't care that much about them. When Jordan is discussing the friends' lives apart from her and their visit to her funeral, she's confused that they would be there or even care that she's gone. It just seems like even she didn't think that they were good friends. A lot of Allison's life was a bit generic (typical baby and growing up stuff) and I wish we'd have gotten more reason for the kids bullying her. It just seems like there was no reason at all and just doesn't make sense to me. I know kids can be cruel, but it just seems beyond ridiculous. Apart from those points, the characters were okay. Not brilliant and many actions just didn't make sense, but they were fine otherwise.
The plot reminds me a lot of A Christmas Carol, where she sees both the past, present and future of the situation and how her decisions can change such things. I think that she had a lot of other options, though. The choice she made, to commit suicide, was very extreme. A lot of her problems could have been solved, like Jordan tries to tell her, with simply talking to others. If she'd spoken to people, than a lot of her problems might have been fixed a lot sooner. The bullying could have been fixed by speaking to teachers who might have punished the other children. The bullying might have been fixed by changing schools or even by being home schooled (her mother was a stay at home mum so it's a reasonable idea). I think the author did a reasonable job of trying to put together a lot of reasons for Allison's suicide (bullying, body image, rape), but because of the way it's written, it just doesn't feel like she's committed to it and that this is what she wants. I guess that's the moral of the book, that you always have other options. However, in the same way, that's what's confusing about the book; the author doesn't really explain properly why Allison doesn't take these other options, beside the fact that she's kind of embarrassed and she thinks it's awkward to talk to people about her problems. One thing that does bother me is that, when Jordan shames her for what she's done to her parents and friends (by committing suicide), it feels like that's just the wrong thing to say. It's not really her fault that she's been having suicidal feelings and by trying to chastise her like that is just bound to make her feel worse about her life. I, personally, hate when people say things like that, though it's a fairly common for people to say to suicidal people (many people call them weak and selfish). Apart from those points, the plot was somewhat generic, but had some interesting points.
The following paragraph is about the ninth chapter and will be hidden because of spoilers.
It's a quick book and it only took me about an hour to read this morning. It's fairly sad, but if you stop at the happily ever after ending, it has a lighter and more hopeful feeling, I would imagine. It's a bit preachy and, in many cases, does seem like it puts down suicidal people (in my opinion). Though I appreciate the moral that it tries to teach, that there's always other options and things you can do. Overall, it was alright, but I didn't necessarily enjoy it. As mentioned above, I didn't think that it was particularly original in either plot or characters. However, it was a decent book and I think some people might be helped by the story, even if I'm not.
I won a copy of this book via a First Reads giveaway and these are just my honest thoughts on it.
May 22, 2018
If God forgives me.
This book hits close to home but I lost an adult in my family to suicide. I think if someone was contemplating suicide, this book might make them think about living. Good job alto it made me personally sad.
This book hits close to home but I lost an adult in my family to suicide. I think if someone was contemplating suicide, this book might make them think about living. Good job alto it made me personally sad.
July 3, 2020
Insightful
This story is touching - in good and not so good ways. Prayers for the many people hurting. Only God can change the tide.
This story is touching - in good and not so good ways. Prayers for the many people hurting. Only God can change the tide.
February 23, 2017
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway so here's my review:
This book was a short, quick read. A bit like an after school special, I could see it being a story line for a show like Degrassi. I don't mean these as negatives though, as someone who works in mental health I would recommend giving this to teens to read. The author made the last chapter "optional" but I think it's important to read and very powerful about the absolute finality of suicide.
This book was a short, quick read. A bit like an after school special, I could see it being a story line for a show like Degrassi. I don't mean these as negatives though, as someone who works in mental health I would recommend giving this to teens to read. The author made the last chapter "optional" but I think it's important to read and very powerful about the absolute finality of suicide.
March 23, 2016
I have read a few of J. Stoutes books and this must be the most heartbreaken one I have read. Allison a 14 year girl that thinks her life is so bad and wants to comment suicide until Jordan arrives and shows her what she could have in life if just gets past the hard times. He takes her on a journey through past and future for her to make her own descion. In the end what is her choice or is it to late? The author J. Stoute left an opening at the end of the book for his readers to decide,which is not often done In a book. You read until the end however you can read more with a different ending and that is the readers decision. I love this book, I read to the very end. It was a great twist from great up and coming author.
December 27, 2015
This was a great story, it was fast paced and kept me engaged until the last page.
Allison is a 14 year old girl who like most kids her age has been picked on by her peers and is just unhappy with life. Until one night the already crummy hand she was dealt gets worse. This incident pushes her over the edge and has her planning suicide... Until Jordan shows up and may be able to convince her not to end her life. Will he be able to stop her or is it too late?
This was a great book, it was well written and Allison was a well developed character that was easy to like and empathize with.
Allison is a 14 year old girl who like most kids her age has been picked on by her peers and is just unhappy with life. Until one night the already crummy hand she was dealt gets worse. This incident pushes her over the edge and has her planning suicide... Until Jordan shows up and may be able to convince her not to end her life. Will he be able to stop her or is it too late?
This was a great book, it was well written and Allison was a well developed character that was easy to like and empathize with.
January 2, 2016
Very good book
I hope that this book reaches many especially those that are considering suicide and I pray it will help them to reconsider and call out for the help they need and that they get that help. Thank you J. Stoute!
I hope that this book reaches many especially those that are considering suicide and I pray it will help them to reconsider and call out for the help they need and that they get that help. Thank you J. Stoute!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews