Title: Every
Last Promise
Author: Kristin
Halbrook
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date:
4.21.2015
Pages: 288
Genre: Young
Adult, Contemporary, Issues
Series: N/A
Source: ARC
from publisher
Rating: 4
Stars
Summary (from Goodreads):
Perfect for fans of Laurie Halse Anderson and Gayle Forman, Every Last
Promise is a provocative and emotional novel about a girl who must decide
between keeping quiet and speaking up after witnessing a classmate's sexual
assault.
Kayla saw something at the party that she wasn't
supposed to. But she hasn't told anyone. No one knows the real story about what
happened that night--about why Kayla was driving the car that ran into a ditch
after the party, about what she saw in the hours leading up to the accident,
and about the promise she made to her friend Bean before she left for the
summer.
Now Kayla's coming home for her senior year. If
Kayla keeps quiet, she might be able to get her old life back. If she tells the
truth, she risks losing everything--and everyone--she ever cared about.
Review:
My
initial feeling when I finished this book was rage. Pure, total, blinding rage.
And disappointment. I just ... expected so much more. From Kristin Halbrook,
from Kayla, from EVERY LAST PROMISE. Instead, I was left with anger and sadness
and a bitter taste that almost had me hurling this book across the room, but I
stopped because said eARC was on my iPad and not amount of book rage will have
me hurling my baby across a room.
But
then I received a physical ARC from HarperCollins with a letter from Kristin
Halbrook about the book and Kayla enclosed.
And
it made me pause.
A
lot of my rage and confusion came from Kayla and the fact that this book ended
without a lot of issues resolved. Kayla was weak, spineless. She ducked her
head and for most of the book, let things happen, not wanting to rock the boat
or her place amongst her "friends".
In
Halbrook's note, she admits that Kayla isn't easy to like, but what Kayla is,
is a real character. She is very much a realistic person. And the sad thing is,
a lot of times, silence is easier than taking a stand. I've done it. I've put
my head down or let things slide so I didn't rock the boat.
I'd
be willing to bet you have done it, too.
It
took some time and some reflection but I realized that my issues with Kayla and
this book is that it struck a raw nerve with me. I read so many book with a
Katniss or a Tris or even a Bella who fight for what they believe in and damn
the consequences and I want to be like that. We all do. We want to be the hero
or heroine. We want people to admire us for sticking to our guns even if it
leads to all out war.
But
the truth is, most of us are like a Kayla. We read and dream about being the
hero, but when push comes to shove and you are actually threatened, when the
people you love may suffer if you stand against the wrong doers, a lot of
people stay silent.
I'm
not passing judgment at all. It simply ... is what it is. It's human.
So
while this book isn't something I personally loved or would re-read, I can say
that it is relatable. I don't think anyone will pick up the "I want to be
a Kayla!" war cry. But I can appreciate and understand Kayla's struggle
and even most of her decisions.
I had the chance to chat with Kristin about EVERY LAST PROMISE, and I think her answers will provide some background behind the story and a little more insight to Kayla that may not make you love her, but maybe understand her.
Hi, Kristin!!!! Thanks so much for agreeing to this
interview! I’ve been anxiously awaiting your next book since I read NOBODY BUT
US a couple years back!
Thank YOU, Hannah! That really is
incredibly kind of you to say and it means a lot to me. I’m thrilled to be
chatting with you about EVERY LAST PROMISE. J
1. EVERY LAST
PROMISE isn’t an easy book to read. It has some very serious issues and a main
character, Kayla, who isn’t sure if she wants to be the “hero” of the story or
not. How was it to write about things from Kayla’s eyes?
It was hard, a tremendous honor,
and a tremendous personal growth opportunity. And I don’t say that lightly.
Writing EVERY LAST PROMISE from the POV of a reluctant hero (and perhaps not a
hero, at all) forced me to think and learn a lot about why people don’t speak
up about sexual assault. There are loads of reasons, from personal to societal,
and I’m a better person for understanding those reasons a bit better than I did
before I wrote this book. Not that it was ever easy. I wanted Kayla to do the
“right” thing, and to do it quickly. But I also wanted to develop an authentic
character who struggled with the same things all teens struggle with: personal character
development, fitting in, rocking the boat, the threat of having what they love
taken from them. Ultimately, as we hear stories of sexual assault that pit
“heroes” against their accusers, often in small towns or insulated communities
like universities, I wanted to gain a better understanding of those who stay
silent. I have learned a lot and, I think, grown my empathy.
2. I have to
admit, I wasn’t a fan of Kayla. In fact, she absolutely infuriated me most of
the story. But I quickly realized the reasons I disliked her is because she was
so much like me—sometimes it’s easier to stay quiet and not rock the boat when
I should stand up and protest. Do you think teens will be able to relate more
to a Kayla than a Katniss?
Oh, I really appreciate you
telling me that you thought about Kayla and her story in such a personal way.
That means a lot to me; reaching readers in such a way is a great hope of mine.
Yes, I think Kayla could fit on the roster of “unlikeable main characters,”
although I often think those characters should really be thought of as
“uncomfortable” because of the way they make us turn inward and assess our own
strengths, weaknesses, and views on the world. I think we all have some Kayla
in us. Maybe not specifically relating to sexual assault, but our worlds are
full of challenges, and part of surviving is picking our battles. I think Kayla
will be hard to relate to, because we all want to believe ourselves to be
heroes above reproach—I want to be, too!—but coming to terms with the way the
world isn’t morally black or white—we’re not either heroes OR villains but a
little bit of everything at any given time—is an important step in personal
character development. As in, readers’ characters. And I say step, but it’s
really more like a staircase, a series of steps we continue to climb our whole
lives. It’s more fun to relate to a Katniss, for sure, and be the
straight-arrow, badass heroine, but it’s more realistic and challenging to see
ourselves in a Kayla. And that’s what realistic fiction is all about.
3. Your books
don’t pull any punches, and you don’t give characters a Happily Ever After just for the sake of it. What makes you write
books more based with realistic characters than the typical hero/heroine?
Real, live flesh and bone humans
fascinate me. And that makes me sound like an observer, which I am, but I’m
also quite emotionally sensitive and tend to process others’ experiences—even
if they’re complete strangers—on a deep level. I am very careful about the
media that I consume, because I can spends days being a wreck over things that
have happened to other people. And perhaps writing realistic stories is part of
my way of processing events that affect me at deep levels. I think about Will
from NOBODY BUT US and am reminded that my inspiration for him came from
thinking for weeks about teens who are released from the foster care system
without much real-world preparation. I wanted to understand some version of
those teens, to open myself to their experiences. There is just something about
human struggle that opens me up, inside, and keeps me thinking. I like writing
all kinds of characters, but realistic ones make me a better person (I hope!)
and “better” is something I always want to strive for. As for Happily Ever After, I always have hope
for my characters at the end of my stories. I always believe they will find their
own versions of happiness—trial by fire, and all—even though I leave things
somewhat open-ended. It means a lot to me that readers decide for themselves
what my characters’ fates will be.
4. Why did you
feel like this story and these issues were so important to write about?
Because I’m a woman. Because I
have daughters. Because I’ve dealt with things like this personally and these
issues have circled me like a shark my whole life. Because as real life small town
sexual assault stories made—and continues to make—news headlines, I wondered Why? How? Who? and I needed to
understand better. Because I want readers—girls and boys—to see another side, a
thousand sides, to sexual assault. Because maybe my little book can help
readers think, grow, build better communities.
5. What are you
working on now?
Lots of things, as always!
Something romantic (yes, really!), something gothic, something fantastical,
something a bit wacky. Mostly YA, right now. I have a hard time reeling in my
ideas. They breed like bunnies. I’ve actually been doing a lot of revising and
rewriting, based on great beta reader feedback. I appreciate, so much, how my
beta readers challenge me to do better and I’m still learning. Always learning.
J
Thanks again, Kristin!!!!
1: A "Do It Double" Aftermath tote bag from Blu Bear Bazaar. Inspired by Aftermath's message to "Do it double, because some can't do it at all," Blu Bear Bazaar designed beautiful artwork for it and printed it on tote bags and throw pillows. Blu Bear Bazaar is generously donating a portion of all Aftermath product proceeds to RAINN and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Click here for more information.
