The Worst of Me [Paperback]

The Worst of Me is a poignant story about love, perception and beliefs. The novel is narrated by Cassidy a sixteen year old girl who is coming to terms with the end of her relationship with long-term boyfriend Ian. She is also struggling to find a middle-ground with her mother's boyfriend. She feels isolated and she has lost her sense of identity. Her narrative is a fascinating insight into how we all paint an image of ourselves but actually what we show isn't what we truly feel.

One day after hearing her mum and Paul arguing about her, Cassidy goes out and finds herself hiding in the cinema. The anonymity and thrill of being alone sooth her frustrated mind and her absence form home gives her the chance to punish her mother for the hurtful things she has said. After the film, she sits in a cafe and this is where she meets Jonah and his friends. The four boys have recently transfered to the sixth form at Cassidy's school. In a way they give her the chance to reinvent herself and be someone knew. They know nothing about her or her break up with Ian and so she gets to portray a confident and slightly aloof image of herself.

Cassidy and Jonah have an instant connection and they soon begin to explore it. This is where the novel begins to make you ask questions. Cassidy pretends that she is more mature than her friends and in a way above them. She doesn't necessarily believe that she is but because she is feeling isolated from them she becomes more and more integrated and associated with Jonah's group. The trouble is that Jonah's friends are making a name for themselves at school and it isn't a positive one. In Cassidy's mind they think that religion is the greatest source of conflict in the world. In the eyes of others' their views are racist and bigoted. Cassidy doesn't know what to think and she lacks any true opinions of her own.

I was enthralled by Cassidy's dilemma. She had met this amazing guy who understood her and then she is told by her friends that he is a racist and a bigot. She wants to trust in Jonah but there are so many little doubts that invade her mind. This book certainly raised some interesting questions about our society and how people are just generally ignorant. I recently read an articlein New Scientist online by Bernard Beckett and so I had already been thinking about extreme atheism and this book furthered that thinking.

There are a couple of minor things that I felt could have been improved in this novel. When Cassidy talks to her friend Sam about the rumours concerning Jonah, the tone is a little too preachy and it really didn't need to be. The author could have let it play out differently and Sam could have been almost judgemental about Cassisy's questions. I hate to admit this but I know if she asked me some of those things, I would have got on my soap box. The other thing I felt was that perhaps Sam was the too obvious choice for advice. He is the marginalised gay character who deals with prejudice on a daily basis. It wasn't that it didn't work but when you're tackling such imporant topics I think you have to be really hard on yourself and think about how you're stereotyping people. I hate labels. I have a real thing about them. They make me shout at the television. A truly powerful novel is one that shows you the deep flaws of stereotyping or a similar issue without you ever realising it is doing it.

However, I have to say the climax scene of this book was such an amazing concept and I was rather in awe of it. Obviously, I can't tell you more because of spoilers but I would have read the book for that alone. It was so fresh and interesting. Overall, the dynamics between the characters were riveting and kept the plot unfolding at a quick pace. The questions raised by this novel are important, relevant and uncompromising. Definitely, worth reading if you enjoy contemporary teen fiction which pushes you to think about who you are, what you do and what you believe. I cannot wait to read more by Kate Le Vann.

I recommend this for teens age 12+.

I enjoyed this book. Le Vann has a way of writing as if from inside the head of her protagonist, in a very real way. Her writing is free of cliches and she picks up on the intricate thoughts and neuroses experienced by many teenage girls. Although I am much older than Cassidy, I can still remember feeling exactly like she did at times.

The plot material is serious and thought-provoking, with a shocking climax, but the book is still an enjoyable story of first love; very well balanced.

This book brings to mind Judy Blume's books for maturer readers, particularly the warts-and-all approach to relationships taken in 'Forever'.

A really worthwhile teen read, enjoyable by older readers too (I'm 28!).

I thought this was okay, but certainly nothing special. I think that le Vann does have a talent for writing and I would like to read more by her, but this one wasn't strong enough for me to really enjoy. At the start it was nice to be introdued to Cassidy, but I felt as though le Vann wasn't actually very sure of who she was writing about and didn't have a very clear view of her protaganist. Cassidy is meant to be a little unsure of herself and meant to be putting on a bit of a mature front to others, but I don't think it was developed as much as it should've been for it to be a real focus of the book. Cassidy's issue with her boyfriend, Jonah, and his friends being accused of racism could have been developed further too - I don't really think that Cassidy looked into Jonah's actions deep enough or really found out how he felt apart from looking at a few of his internet posts. The subject and dilemma could've been a lot more interesting - Although it was the main point of the plot, it felt as though it was skimmed over. I am interested in reading more of le Vann's books, but this one wasn't remarkable.