Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 01/01/2021 *Starred Review* What happens to survivors of a school shooting? It’s a vexing question and one that Bliss seeks to answer in this richly realized novel, which is divided into three parts, each focusing on a different survivor of the same shooting. In Part 1, it’s Claire, who was so deeply traumatized by the experience that she and her older brother have moved from their small North Carolina town to Minnesota, hoping to leave the trauma behind only to discover that it has come with them. In Part 2, it’s Eleanor, who has worn a hand-lettered shirt to school that says “Fuck Guns,” an act that has attracted national attention and made her a pariah in her gun-crazy town. And in Part 3, it’s Brendan, who has fearfully returned to school after a year’s absence during which time he has obsessively played Wizards and Warriors with his therapist, a game that has taken over his life. The considerable length of this book—each part is nearly long enough to have been published as a standalone novel—affords Bliss more than ample room for plot and character development, at both of which he excels. The theme, of course, is a powerful one, and it is passionately and successfully presented in this inarguably important book, which offers no glib answers but invites serious thought and discussion. - Copyright 2021 Booklist.