Butterfly Suicide
The blood on the cafeteria floor has been washed away and the bullet holes plastered over, but those words carved deeply into the back of the worn auditorium chair will always be a reminder for the students of Rockingham High School of what happened there last May. For Stephen Valley, the brother of infamous school shooter Jude Valley, that day is one he will never be allowed to forget—especially since the small town blames him for the loss of the seven students killed in Jude’s rampage. Unfortunately, poverty has a firm grip on his mother’s finances, imprisoning him in the bigoted town with no options to leave.
Monica Monroe, a self proclaimed Theatre Nerd, hates being known only as the sister of Jude Valley’s murdered girlfriend, Simone. Even though she’s never believed Jude killed her sister over a lover’s quarrel, she does blames herself for not seeing what a monster he was. When she is partnered with Stephen for an acting scene in Theatre class, Monica views this as an opportunity to finally get some answers. Being paired with Stephen proves to be dangerous for her emotional well being and her heart. When he is beaten up for being on her street, Monica realizes his life after the actions of Jude has been as traumatic as her own.
Drawn together by tragedy, the two stumble across a shattering secret which threatens to ruin their blossoming romance and destroy their families.
My Review
It is kind of hard to do reviews on books like this. I am not saying it is hard in the context that the book was bad but more due to the subject matter of school shooting and mental illness. Although, the matter of mental illness is a very serious one and more awareness needs to be brought on this so that people can get the help that they need.
I thought the author did a good job with this book. Stephen and Monica were relatable. In fact, I really got upset some that they were treated so unkindly. However, seeing things from their view does make you think more about the fact that the families of killers are victims as well. To quote from the book "Perception is a powerful thing".
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