Chippy Marco's Reviews > Graffiti Heaven

I read this again because the main character Ash is the older brother of Dante from Broken English. My first review below still stands. Such an intense book!!!

Original Review

This was one of the most intense books I have read, but in a very good way. At first I thought it was going to be similar to SKINS, and I suppose it was, sort of. It had the teen angst, the troubled relationships, jealousies, peer pressure, a little bit of drugs and sex, family problems, bullying, the partying, but it felt more personal if you can get what I mean. I think the reason I say this is because, unlike the TV series of SKINS, we are in the heads of these four teenagers and what we experience with them is what makes this book. We get to feel Ash's excitement over going to his girlfriend's place for a bit of nookie, then his fear when he runs into her rough brother, you feel his anxiety, and not only with his girlfriend's brother but all the other things he has to experience: dealing with his stepfather at home and his friends at school who keep telling him that his girlfriend cheated when it was all a misunderstanding. There are misunderstandings abound in this book, and that often propels the drama, like with Tiana's (Ash's girlfriend) mother and her class, who all think she's slept with Ash, which at that point in the story she hasn't. And as a result she has to deal with a lot of bullying. I liked how Tiana grew through the book. She started of as a timid thing then slowly, but gradually, she got a backbone and I loved it when she put certain people in their places. I loved both her and Ash (my favourite).

The other two voices in this story were Jenna (the bully) and Levi (Tiana's brother). They also brought a lot to the table. You'd be surprised that the bad girl Jenna actually brought humour. Along with Ash's best friend Joel, they created the majority of the lol moments. Jenna was a complete wisearse, the things that came out of her mouth were absolutely hilarious. But she was also a very troubled character that thought she could bully and punch her way through life. She was a complex and unique character that was more afraid of emotional than physical pain. She learns some very hard life lessons by the end of the book, and thankfully, hopefully, it will mean in the sequel she will be a much nicer character, although I hope she keeps her funny comments, because they definitely made for some lighter moments.

Levi, Levi, Levi... He was another complex character, someone that I really believed was the true villain at the beginning of the book. Oh how I was wrong. The real villain didn't show his face until quite a way through the book and Levi in comparison turned out to be a nice person who put aside his prejudices to help someone who he couldn't stand at the start. He grew a lot in the book too, like all of the characters.

I want to come back to Ash again, the boy on the cover, because he was THE stand out character. The changes in the book for him were the biggest and were where the tragic side of the story comes in. He experiences the normal trials and tribulations of a boy his age for a good section of the book, but as you read on you get the feeling that there is something not quite right. And when you reach about the half-way mark it blows up completely in your face with a giant shock bomb. But when you look back over what you've previously read you realise, how did I not see that, because all the clues were there, hinting at the true nature of someone in particular. And that is where the true emotion is in the book, because you are still in the head of Ash and you are witnessing all the confusion and sorrow he is going through. It thoroughly gripped me, really got a hold of my heartstrings and squeezed them. I swear I didn't cry, I didn't! no guy wants to admit to crying *sob* but grab those box of tissues because Ash will make you blubber like a new born baby. Again, he was my hands down favourite. I really want Crying Out Silent, the sequel now, because I'm assuming it continues Ash's story, and I hope the other three as well. A great cast of characters and a fantastically emotional (both comedic and tragic) story. I would give this higher starring if there was more than 5.

Now I'm sad it's finish. Where are those tissues?

I'll leave you with the gifs showing my emotions are chapter 26 and 27. Ciao!