Review: The Impossible Knife Of Memory By Laurie Halse Anderson

“How can you complain if you’re alive?” asked Andy Kincain, a former Army Ranger who suffers heavily from PTSD, in the novel, the impossible knife of memory, by Laurie Halse Anderson (Anderson 332). In the novel, the main character Hayley Kincain, the daughter of Andy Kincain have finally decided to try and settle down in Andy’s home town in the hopes of having a somewhat normal life. Hayley finds herself attending normal school after being homeschooled for the past five years while traveling the country. She finds that high school is just a waste of time and it is just full of zombies. Meanwhile, her dad is finding it very hard to work due to his PTSD just constantly bringing his attitude down. Andy isn’t the only one to suffer or dwell on the past, Hayley, constantly dwells on her life as a kid when her dad was full of life and joy. As Hayley traverses her newly found life, she meets people such as Finnegan Ramos, her boyfriend who helps …show more content…
Humans have found ways to kill, protect, and to put back together those in battle. They make bulletproof vest to protect the user from an onslaught of debris and hot lead. Some may ask “Where is the bulletproof vest for the mind?”(Where is the bulletproof vest)? Well “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an enigmatic beast…” many are burdened with the horrible effects that coincide with the illness. People have been trying to cure the mental illness, however the results have not been favorable. The results have been mixed often causing the same evils that stem from PTSD (Mcnaught). PTSD is not something that can be cured overnight like the common cold. The healing process is long and strenuous. It also does not help when people are oblivious to those with the illness. People need to understand how the illness affects the user and how to combat them. Education is the key to solving any