The book is deeply suspenseful and profoundly human as Vera, haunted by memories of Charlie and how their friendship disintegrated, struggles to find the courage to combat destructive forces, save herself, and bring justice to light. Vera is the primary narrator, though her father, Charlie (posthumously), and even the town's landmark pagoda contribute interludes as King (The Dust of 100 Dogs) shows how shame and silence can have risky sometimes deadly consequences.
But first she has to face her fractured relationship with her father, a recovering alcoholic who worries about her drinking the absence of her mother, who left six years earlier and the knowledge that she could clear Charlie's suspected guilt in a crime. Though Charlie's death hangs heavily over Vera, she has the road ahead mapped out: pay her way through community college with her job delivering pizza while living "cheap" in her father's house.
A worthy, well-crafted addition to any YA collection.Beginning with the funeral of Charlie Kahn, high school senior Vera's neighbor and former best friend, this chilling and darkly comedic novel offers a gradual unfolding of secrets about the troubled teenagers, their families, and their town. Alone in the World Vera is kind of a loner, and before Charlie ditched her she mostly just hung out with him. Although King’s characters turn into the people they’ve long fought to avoid becoming, they ultimately rise above their challenges, reflect, and move on. As the titular character of the book, she's dealing with quite a lother best friend in the whole wide world has just died, but instead of being straight-up sad, she doesn't know how to feel about it. Father and daughter wade gingerly through long-concealed emotions about Vera’s mother’s leaving the family, creating the most powerful redemption story of the many found in King’s arresting tale.
Chapters titled “A Brief Word from Ken Dietz (Vera’s Dad)” are surprising, heartfelt, and tragic it’s through Ken that readers see how quickly alcohol and compromised decision making are destroying Vera’s carefully constructed existence. Vera’s struggle to put Charlie and his besmirched name behind her are at the crux of this witty, thought-provoking novel, but most memorable is the gorgeous unfurling of Vera’s relationship with her father. Our titular character Vera is dealing with lots of grief and anger when the book opens: Her former best friend/enemy Charlie is dead, and she doesnt know whether to mourn his death or curse his memory. But after Charlie betrayed her, it became impossible to fend off her classmates’ cruel attacks or isolate herself any longer. But does Vera want to help him after what he did to her? Charlie’s risky, compulsive behavior and brand-new bad-news pals proved to be his undoing, while Vera’s mantra was always “Please Ignore Vera Dietz,” as she strives, with Charlie’s help, to maintain a low profile and keep her family life private. High-school senior Vera never expects her ex-best friend, Charlie, to haunt her after he dies and beg her to clear his name of a horrible accusation surrounding his death.
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