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James Clark

Mr. Keith Newvine

AP Literature and Composition

14 April 2019

Introduction

The Impossible Knife of Memory​ by Laurie Halse Anderson is a gripping young adult

novel about the unique struggles of a high school senior. This coming of age story is perfect for a

young adult audience as it portrays realistic scenarios associated with mental health and major

life changing situations. Protagonists, such as Hayley Kincain and Finn Ramos, liven up the

story with their witty, yet serious and sometimes somber, dialogue concerning their unusual

living circumstances. Consequently, this novel bears poignant and disturbing themes, allowing

for the reader to deeply sympathize with the characters. All in all, Mrs. Anderson has written a

compelling novel that captures its audience with amazing characters and influential themes.

Engaging and Interesting

Without a doubt, ​The Impossible Knife of Memory​ is a highly engaging and interesting

novel. Each consecutive chapter provides the reader with new details concerning a specific facet

about the plot, making each page feel important in its own unique way. One specific example of

this comes from chapters involving Hayley’s father’s flashbacks. We learn early on in the novel

that Hayley’s father, named Andy, is a war veteran that suffers from post traumatic stress

disorder (PTSD). To exemplify moments in which Andy has a PTSD attack, Mrs. Anderson

writes, using italics, as if Andy is reliving a moment from his time as a veteran. For example,

Mrs. Anderson writes, “​We bet it all, throw everything on the line because the air is filled with
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bullets and grenades. We won’t hear the one that gets us, but it’s coming​” (Anderson 12).

Moments like these truly bring the novel to life. These chapters are the most heart wrenching and

disturbing in the novel, allowing for the reader to ‘relive’ these experiences alongside Andy. For

that reason, this novel deserves a Tyler Cook in the category Engaging and Interesting.

Relatability and Relevance

As a modern contemporary novel, ​The Impossible Knife of Memory​ fulfills its role of

being relatable and relevant in 2019. The novel is written from the perspective of a girl named

Hayley, who is a high school senior living with her veteran father. For the entirety of the novel,

Hayley is a strong and independent female protagonist. Her witty dialogue and intriguing

monologues, for the most part, help to connect the reader with the circumstance of the novel.

Here is one such example: “Based on the panic level, I expected the hall to be filled with a

SWAT team and hostage negotiators. Instead, I found a group of girls standing in front of the

bathroom door, waiting like excited spectators at a medieval hanging” (Anderson 124). Although

one might describe Hayley’s narration as ‘edgy,’ it’s fair to say that it fits her character. This

allows for her to shine, in an ironically cynical way, in many social situations. For this reason, I

rate this category as Tyler Cook.

Believability

One major aspect about ​The Impossible Knife of Memory​ that fascinates me the most is

how it deals with the femininity of the main character. During the first few chapters, Mrs.

Anderson makes it clear that Hayley is the opposite of naive: “These guys would size me up as a

female, young, five foot eleven-ish, one sixty. Those facts were the language of my body,

couldn’t change it. But the way I walked, that made the difference” (Anderson 6). In the modern
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era, this is the reality that many women face on a daily basis. The fact that Mrs. Anderson so

masterfully portrays this concept creates a mood within the reader that allows them to feel what

Hayley is feeling in this situation. For that reason, this book not only has a relatable character,

but a relatable theme as well. Therefore, I rate this novel a Tyler Cook in this category.

Characterization

Although the characters in this novel are unique and well crafted, their development

throughout was minimal. Oftentimes, many characters resorted to the same actions that they

would have done during the beginning of the novel, signifying that their was not much growth in

terms of their character. However, this is not to say that the characterization is ‘bad’ in any way,

shape, or form. Rather, the characterization that does occur happens on a small scale. For

example, Hayley states, “The summer days slipped through my fingers. The nights were never

long enough. I showed Finn how to change his oil and tires. He drove me to half-dozen state

schools and helped me find the one that combined flexible admission dates, scholarship money,

and a relatively low percentage of zombies…” (Anderson 388). To the naked eye, this sentence

does not reveal much about Hayley’s character development. However, one aspect that this quote

does reveal is that she is, for once, working on herself rather than her father. Throughout the

novel, Hayley has always put her father first. Now that she has time to worry about herself, Finn

is aiding her when it comes to finding the right college. Although this type of character

development is small, it brings Hayley’s character to life in a wholesome way. Therefore, I rate

this novel Vax Moms in this category.

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Influential Theme

When it comes to the treatment of mental illness, this novel does an exemplary job with

tackling such issues in a serious and politically correct manner. As stated before, Hayley’s father

Andy suffers from PTSD due to his time in the military. As a retired veteran, he now lives a

normal life with his daughter. However, his issues still have a strong grasp on his mental well

being: “Is there anything worse than watching your father cry? He’s supposed to be the

grown-up, the all-powerful grown-up, especially if he’s a soldier” (Anderson 331). During this

scene, Hayley and the reader find out that Roy, Andy’s best friend in the military, has died. For

this reason, Andy is crying uncontrollably. He’s lost so many friends on the battlefield that the

pain of losing another is unbearable to him, and it triggers dangerous memories associated with

his PTSD. Consequently, the reader is strongly influenced by the depressing themes portrayed

through the chapters involving Hayley’s father. Many people do not know the pain of having

someone they know suffer from a mental illness that is so debilitating. Therefore, people who

read this for the first time will have an enriched understanding of this topic, and be more

empathetic to those who suffer from PTSD. As a whole, this novel deserves a Tyler Cook in this

category.

Craft

Akin to young adult novels of the same calibre, the craft of ​The Impossible Knife of

Memory​ is mediocre at best. Figurative language is minimally used, and examples of its usage

are adequate. However, the most engaging aspect of the craft of this novel is how Mrs. Anderson

uses the first person point of view of Hayley. Her perspective allows us to understand certain

events in context to her character as opposed to the experiences of the reader. One such quote
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that exemplifies this is the following: “That feeling in your stomach when you hear him

whistling off-key down the hall. That way your heart trips and then hammers against your ribs

when he sees you and he grins like a little kid at the top of a steep, shiny-hot slide” (Anderson

194). Through this passage, we hear Hayley’s inner thoughts as she sees her beloved boyfriend

in sight. Though this passage is something that many people can relate to, Mrs. Anderson uses

Hayley’s voice to describe it in such an accurate and beautiful way. Though it is far from the

captivating sonnets of Shakespeare, passages like these are appealing to the reader in a cute

fashion. Therefore, I rate this novel a Name on Keith’s White Board in craft.

Conclusion

As a whole, ​The Impossible Knife of Memory​ enchants the reader with a variety of special

attributes, which include the character of Hayley Kincain, its focus on the significance of mental

illness, and a believable set of circumstances surrounding the protagonists. Additionally, Mrs.

Anderson was able to create an astounding young adult novel that tackles important issues

regarding modern society. In the end, Hayley is just like any other high school senior; as high

schoolers, we struggle with our own individual problems that inhibit our ability to succeed.

Although Hayley’s circumstances are very unique, many high school students will surely feel

sympathy, and even empathy, towards Hayley as we all face some sort of hardship in our lives.

In order to get past them, we must act like Hayley-- confident, persistent, and willing to create

change in our lives.

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Works Cited

Anderson, Laurie Halse. ​The Impossible Knife of Memory​. Speak, 2015.