Impulse (Hopkins novel)


Impulse is a 2007 American young adult novel in verse written by Ellen Hopkins. The novel digs into the lives of three troubled teenagers as they try to work their way out of the hospital by getting through what put them there.

Plot

From the book jacket:

Characters

Conner Sykes: Conner is the perfect boy. He's handsome, has amazing grades, and is amazing at sports. His family seems like the poster family for the magazines. He and his twin sister, Cara Sykes, are supposed to be perfect. His sister has achieved that status in the eyes of Conner's parents. Conner finds himself to want what he can not have, like older women. However, when his parents try to force him to live up to their impossible standards, Conner's only choice is to pull the trigger.
Tony Ceccarelli: Tony grew up in the streets mainly. His father abandoned him, while his mother hooks up with anybody. They leave their son all alone to deal with the hardships of life. Tony was sexually abused by one of his mother's boyfriends, and ended up killing the boyfriend. The only person that Tony could trust was his friend and mentor, Phillip, but when Phillip died, Tony's only choice was to swallow the pills.
Vanessa O'Reilly: Vanessa grew up in a broken family. Her father is overseas, her mother does anything to stop the hurt, and on top of it all Vanessa has to worry about watching after her little brother. When her Mother starts going crazy and talking to her "angel", Vanessa's only comfort is to put the blade to her wrist. Eventually, unable to live with her hurt of her now hospitalized mother she tries to make the final cut.

Reception

Reviews for Impulse have been mostly positive, with Publishers Weekly saying that while parts of the book have "an almost unbelievable amount of grittiness... readers will find themselves invested" TeenReads and Kirkus Reviews also gave the book a positive review, with Kirkus calling the books "A fast, jagged, hypnotic read."
Impulse has been challenged due to its sexual content along with Hopkin's other books.

Awards