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Impossible Knife of Memory
Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
31 posts | 84 read | 82 to read
For the past five years, Hayley Kincaid 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? "The Impossible Knife of Memory" is Laurie Halse Anderson at her finest: compelling, surprising, and impossible to put down."
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Crystal83
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
Pickpick

This was an interesting and important book to read. I love that it talks about what military families have to go through when their loved ones come home from the war. I rated this book a 3 out of 5 stars.

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Kaylamburson
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
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Pickpick

I bought this book back in 2014 when it was brand-new and just got around to reading it because I found it on my childhood bookshelf. It's dark and a frustrating, heart-wrenching story about a teen and her veteran father tortured by severe PTSD. Laurie Halse Anderson never shys away from shedding light on difficult subjects, and she shatters the window to allow all readers a clear view into the impossible truths of war-torn families.

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kaykay521
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
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Pickpick

One of my selections for a Young Adult Lit class I am taking for my masters degree. A good solid read. Hayley is trying to navigate her senior year of high school, her feelings for a boy named Finn, all while dealing with her veteran father suffering from severe PTSD from his tours overseas. The relationship between father and daughter is touching as she tries to navigate how to help him while keeping her own sanity.

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suvata
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
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Pickpick

Continuing my TBR project:
This is one the oldest selection on my TBR list - Originally added June 2, 2015.

Heartbreaking story about a teenager who has to deal with her father‘s PTSD from the Gulf Wars. All I can say is that I cannot believe what shattered lives some people have to live.

Chrissyreadit I have been unable to read this but think I should and share with my teens. Their dad has severe PTSD. Although we are still married we have to live in a separate house for everyone‘s safety and mental health. 6y
suvata @Chrissyreadit It‘s definitely a hard one to read 6y
54 likes2 comments
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UnabridgedPod
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
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Pickpick

Re-reading Laurie Halse Anderson's The Impossible Knife of Memory for our upcoming episode cemented for me Anderson's brilliance. This book does EVERYTHING: creates a strong, vulnerable, real teenage protagonist in Hayley; builds an amazing series of relationships for Hayley in her friends Gracie and Finn; and addresses the daily horrors of PTSD with Hayley's dad, a veteran of the U.S. war in Iraq and Afghanistan. (continued in comments)

UnabridgedPod After Hayley's mom Rebecca died, Hayley became the main caretaker for her dad. For a brief time, Hayley had the support of her grandmother and her dad's girlfriend Trish, but then she is alone again with her dad. Anderson builds so much empathy for Hayley--she's not perfect and makes copious mistakes through the novel, but she's dealing with situations that would be a challenge for most adults. 6y
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SmartBookaholicsIncBookstore
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
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Pickpick

Rating: 👍👍👍👍
Cover: 👍👍👍
Characters: 👍👍👍👍

I liked this book! It was memorable and heartwarming! Not bad for the 1st read of 2019! I cried and yelled allot through this book!

RadicalReader @SmartBookaholicsIncBookstore if you‘re looking for a wonderful gripping stay up for “ just one more chapter” type of novel check out this incredible phenomenal book 6y
readinginthedark This one was so good! What a fantastic writer! 6y
SmartBookaholicsIncBookstore @RadicalReader I just got this! Thank you, cant wait to read! 6y
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SmartBookaholicsIncBookstore @readinginthedark yes this was my first book bu her! Im anxious to read more from her! 6y
RadicalReader @SmartBookaholicsIncBookstore hope you enjoy it looking forward to seeing your quotes, blurbs and review when you‘ve finished. In about a year it is going to be a tv series on Netflix just found that out from the author on Twitter 6y
readinginthedark Speak is probably my favorite, but they're all good. I haven't read any of her historical ones, so I'd like to try those. 6y
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Jennb31
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
Pickpick

Anderson is the undeniable teen queen! This was a tear-jerker! I got to the end and bawled my eyes out. It was very hard to put down! Love how Anderson captured the complexities of teen relationships all while handling what it‘s like to be the child of a vet dealing with PTSD.

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Onlaughterandliteracy
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
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LOOK AT ALL THESE GOODIES!!! Disclaimer: @Chasing-Pages did not send me a cat. She was preowned 🤣🤣 I‘m dying over all the extras: chocolates, hot cocoa, pens, stickies, wax melts, and WINE! BEYOND spoiled 🎄📚🍷🕯

EchoLogical 🍷🍷🍷 7y
Chasing_Pages Such a cute kitty! My Luna helped me wrap everything and didn‘t want to get out of the box! 😹 7y
Betty Wine! Had no idea it could be shipped. I live in such a conservative state 7y
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Onlaughterandliteracy @Betty I had no idea either!! Such a pleasant surprise! Lol 7y
Onlaughterandliteracy @Chasing-Pages that‘s my Lily love 🧡 she was loving all the paper and string! Haha 7y
Bookzombie 💕🐱 7y
45 likes6 comments
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SarahRotenberry
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
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Ready for a great Friday night 💙

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JacintaMCarter
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
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These books are so good and such quick reads that you can't help but turn them into #BingeReads. #AutumnReads

HippieChickHomeschool How did you like Chains? The narrator was awful so we gave up, maybe the book is better? We did enjoy Fever. 7y
JacintaMCarter @HippieChickHomeschool I didn't listen on audio, so I didn't run into that problem. I didn't like it as much as her other books, but it was still good and made me want to read the rest of the series. 7y
HippieChickHomeschool Thanks! I may give it a try again later 7y
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LibrarianErn
Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
Pickpick

4/5 stars. I really liked the plot and pacing of this story, but I'm not so sure about Finn. He felt a little too flat. The descriptions of Hayley's panic attacks were spot on, though.

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Mrs.AntonacciReads
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
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@hlgreenfield tagged me in a #bookcolortag- we just relocated about a month ago and all my books are still in boxes!! However, I was able to scrounge up a few blue books. 😊 I'm tagging @readsusieread and @MrBook with the color red! Hopefully I did that right.

MrBook This will take some time 😊👍🏻 7y
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RavenNight
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
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Jas16
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
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Hailey's father may be back from the war but #memoriesremain and it is hard to have a normal life when he is struggling with PTSD. #90sinjuly

Cinfhen Well done 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 7y
58 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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ChrisM
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
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The corner of my guest room has become my bookshelf.....#shelfie #riotgrams

queerbookreader Ooooo I have the Fraser book 👸🏻 I have another one of hers too but I can't remember what it's about 8y
CoverToCoverGirl Liking the Fraser book too! 😎 8y
Bookish_B I see nothing wrong with that 😉 8y
Hollie I see some good ones! 8y
JazzFeathers 😂😂 8y
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Hollie
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
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My #impossible contribution for #lyricalapril is this Laurie Halse Anderson YA novel about a girl who has recently moved back to her father's hometown to go to school. She deals with all the regular high school BS, but is also grappling with taking care of her father, who has PTSD after serving in Iraq. Fun fact, the author once told me if she could have one wish, it would be that people understand that "Halse" rhymes with "waltz."

Cinfhen I love the title and while YA is not normally a genre I like this one sounds good! Plus isn't HS BS #impossible enough?!? 8y
Hollie That is a good point indeed @Cinfhen 8y
Bklover I love all her books. My daughter and I read them together. Oh, and you MET her? How cool is that?!?! 😀 8y
Hollie @Bklover yes, she came to campus to talk about "Speak" and I was giving a session on domestic violence for the same workshop. She was incredible. "Speak" was my first ever YA. 8y
Hollie And @Bklover that's awesome that you and your daughter read these books together...I will do the same with my son when he gets a little older. 8y
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lynneamch
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
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I haven't read this book yet, but the topic looks interesting and lots of Littens picked it. I don't know if pie makes everybody happy, but this Lemon Supreme one I made in August did the job. Wishing you all a happy #PiDay #PieDay #Marchintoreading @RealLifeReading

readinginthedark It's really good (pie and the book)! 😊 (edited) 8y
RealLifeReading Lemon pie! 8y
Megabooks I love that she writes girls who are into math/science. Have you read ? 8y
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lynneamch @readinginthedark Thanks. I'll definitely check this out. @Ebooksandcooks I appreciate this rrec, too. I'll be book shopping with the 13-yr-old granddaughter next week, so am always on the lookout for good YA in advance. 8y
LeslieO ❤Laurie Halse Anderson! 8y
Talewaggingreads Pie! You are killing me! 8y
56 likes2 stack adds6 comments
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Booknerdworm
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
Pickpick

The book that got me back into reading, I love it so much. A young girl has to take care of her father with severe PTSD while maybe dealing with some of her own.

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AndreaReads
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
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Day 3 for my school's Human Rights Campaign #RightToRead is #BooksByAFemaleAuthor I have to give a shout out to Laurie Halse Anderson! From Speak, to Wintergirls, to these two pictures, Anderson knows how to tackle sensitive subjects and make them accessible to young adults. #ChangingTheWorldOneBookAtATime

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Eggs
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
Pickpick

Read it in one sitting; great read . Also recommend Speak by same author

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That-Bookish-Hiker
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
Mehso-so

When I first started this book I was confused. It starts off with the main character, Hayley, going on about zombies and freaks. After that intro I had to reread the synopsis to make sure I understood what this book was about. From there it really picked up and I felt for Hayley's situation. Reading Hayley's dad struggle with PTSD and depression after several tours and fighting in different wars captivated me and kept me hooked to the story. ⭐⭐⭐

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That-Bookish-Hiker
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
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MyNamesParadise If a man ever says that to you ask him if he's on his period. It's proven that men have an emotional cycle as well. I believe it's 39 days. I'll have to look it up and I'll post a link to the article. 8y
That-Bookish-Hiker @MyNamesParadise I'll say that after I punch him in the nuts lol. I would love to read that article. 8y
MyNamesParadise @That-Bookish-Hiker http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/11/19/men-may-not-bleed-but-here-s-wh... the studies mentioned in this article may lead you to more scientific articles, lol! 8y
13 likes1 stack add3 comments
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That-Bookish-Hiker
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
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I wasn't feeling well so I left work early. So happy to be home bundled up reading a book. 😊

#alwaysreading

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Tigerbook
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
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Pickpick

This is a great teen fiction about everyday problems and how they can turn out to be something more serious.

Pandyfish Where did you get the kitty bookmark? #BookmarkNerd 8y
Tigerbook Ha I think I got it for my birthday and i don't know where I am sorry 8y
Tigerbook The Bookstore in our town 8y
4 likes3 comments
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kspenmoll
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
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" I'd treat myself to a reading marathon all weekend . All the ice cream I could eat, all the pages I could read. Heaven." Since I am doing things other than just reading, not quite a marathon. Eating ice cream & reading P. D. James on my nook. Have not read The Impossible Knife of Memory yet but I hope to get to it this weekend- #biblioweekend.

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BetterWorldBooks
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
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How would you like to spend the #weekend?

kspenmoll Just used this same quote in my post 😊📚 8y
10 likes1 comment
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Librarian
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
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Pickpick

Loved this. A gritty and raw look at PTSD as it affects a father and daughter. Good company on flights that were delayed, delayed, delayed.

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wingedsnails
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
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4th book in 2 weeks that I've read for class... Whew!

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kdwinchester
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
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Pickpick

A book about a father and daughter both trying to deal with PTSD, one from his time in the war and the other from her time living with an alcoholic parent. Though it struggles in places, Anderson's book starts a conversation about PTSD that more of us need to have. Oh, and bring your tissues |⭐️⭐️⭐️

bbbbecky Basically any book by her goes on my to-read list!! 9y
Gayan Thanks for the recommendation. My son, an Iraq veteran struggles with PTSD. I will definitely read this. 9y
EmiisBooks Underwater by Marisa Reichardt is about a girl who has PTSD, maybe not from war, but from a trauma. She's afraid she'll turn like her father who has PTSD and refuses to get help. 9y
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BookishFeminist Instantly going on my TBR. I've struggled w/PTSD for years & am always looking for books that destigmatize mental illness. Plus Laurie Halse Anderson is the best. 💕 Don't know how I've missed this one. Thanks so much for the rec! 9y
BookishFeminist @EmiisBooks I haven't heard of this author before but your rec sounds great! 9y
LianneB Wow, sounds gritty and emotional. 9y
Hollyg113 Laurie Halse Anderson is one of THE coolest people I have ever met in my life. I absolutely adore her and her books. 9y
Seonjoon Oooh...going on my list! 9y
89 likes43 stack adds8 comments
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Aga_reads
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
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Mehso-so

I loved Laurie's Speak, but unfortunately I couldn't quite get into this one as much. The raw emotion was wonderful, and the writing was great, but I couldn't connect to the characters at all.Most of them were dull, and insufferable at times. 3 stars

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StephC
The Impossible Knife of Memory | Laurie Halse Anderson
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Pickpick

Laurie has written a complex and emotionally charged book, in a direct and simple manner, which is not an easy feat. This story deals with some heavy issues but doesn't feel didactic which heightens the devastating truths at the core of the story.

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