The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

From Goodreads:
For the past five years, Hayley Kincain and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have tortured him since his return from Iraq. Now they are back in the town where he grew up so Hayley can attend school. Perhaps, for the first time, Hayley can have a normal life, put aside her own painful memories, even have a relationship with Finn, the hot guy who obviously likes her but is hiding secrets of his own.

Will being back home help Andy’s PTSD, or will his terrible memories drag him to the edge of hell, and drugs push him over?

I really like Laurie Halse Anderson's writing, but this is only the second novel I've read by her, the first one being Fever 1793 last year for my course on contagion in literature. This is such a compelling novel, and it didn't take me very long to finish it. The chapters are short, and Anderson's writing style draws you in. This was an inhale-read for me. While I didn't read it in one sitting, I read huge chunks of this at a time. I read the first half yesterday morning, another quarter last night, and the last quarter this morning (while my internet was down). I couldn't bring myself to put it down even when I had to.

Anderson's writing style is unique and easy to follow. She weaves realistic stories with compelling, relatable characters, and this one is no different. This book explores painful and difficult issues, mainly stemming from PTSD. Painful memories plague both narrator Hayley and her father Andy, who suffers from PTSD from serving in Iraq. The issue of memory is one that shows up frequently in this book, which Anderson deals with in a realistic way. The writing style is akin to Kurt Vonnegut in parts. While the writing style is amazing, it is both inclusive and alienating at the same time, probably done deliberately given the subject matter of PTSD and memory. 

Not one of the characters are black-and-white. They are all shades of grey. Not one of them is perfect. It's a bit hard to connect to Hayley at times, but again, I think this is done deliberately. Hayley does snark and push people away, but there is a reason for this, and by the end of the novel, you can't help but commend her. Besides little quibbles, it was completely satisfying. I loved how she didn't get a "fix-it" fairy tale ending at the novel's conclusion, adding to the realism of the story. 

It's a quickly paced novel. It's gritty. It doesn't shy away from things. But at the same time, there is hope and love in this book, which is a driving force for the character of Hayley. I thoroughly enjoyed The Impossible Knife of Memory, and will be giving it 5/5 - I highly recommend it and will try to read more of Laurie Halse Anderson's works in the near future.