Choker by Elizabeth Woods

Let me just say that I had minimal expectations for this book. In fact, I only bought it because it appeared to be about an alienated sixteen-year-old named Cara who missed her best friend. By God, we're practically the same person! At least that was what I thought when I started the book. When I reached the end, I was too baffled by what I'd just read to think of just how different we were.

Summary

Cara is your average lonely, alienated victim of bullying. She eats lunch with people who ignore her and pines over gorgeous track star Ethan Gray, her parents are neglectful and her friend count is zero. One day in the cafeteria, she begins choking on a baby carrot and Ethan has to give her the Heimlich, which results in her having the nickname Choker. The bullying escalates to a peak - and that`s when Zoe comes in. With her old best friend hiding out in her bedroom, things begin to get better for Cara. But when students start dying at her school, Cara has to ask the question `How far is Zoe willing to go to make her friend happy?'

Point of the Novel

The point of the novel is pretty clear - bullying leads to tragedy. It's difficult to provide evidence for this point without ruining the book, but it stands fairly obvious once you read it.

Characters

Ah, Cara, you big push over. I liked Cara for a lot of reasons, one being that she has a beautiful name. Another was that she was awkward and victimized and constantly bending over backwards for her friend. At the same time, she was a very broken, neglected person with a lot of isolation issues. The author did a great job at keeping these traits under the surface, there for you to see but not in your face. And then when the end came, they all came rushing up in a very lovely way.

Zoe is eerie, and not because she's constantly whoop-de-freaking crazy. Her shifts in behavior keep you on your toes for most of the novel. You never know if it will be sunny, happy, childhood friend Zoe or psychotic, scheming, sociopath Zoe. And what's more, she represents that friend we've all had. You know, the one who over stays their welcome and ends up digging their claws into the relationships you have with other people.

The best thing about Ethan Gray is that he's real. Ethan is not the vague, brooding, sexy man that most YA novels seem to be promoting. He's a real guy who has real feelings and insecurities. And he used to be a fat kid. I can relate to that.

Something I Didn't Like

I saw the ending coming in the third chapter and the rest of the novel was just spent waiting for it to happen. Sometimes the action lagged and parts were just unrealistic. I tried to chock it up to insanity, but COME ON. You can not kill that many people without anyone noticing! (Please note that I didn't say who was the killer.) Besides that, Cara's complacency was terribly irritating.

Something I Loved

Besides the cover and the name? Not a lot. I thought it was alright as something to read in the bathtub or after a test, but it didn't keep me reading up into the night. The plot was clear, the end was satisfying, and there were some really good, honestly creepy scenes in between.

Like It or Lump It?

Something in the middle. I didn't hate it, but it wasn't the most fascinating thing I've ever read.

Tell me what you thought of the book in a comment below, or send us an email atblissfullynerdy@hotmail.com! Feel free to comment on what you thought of this review. Flames are welcome and will be printed out and taped to the inside of my locker. If you want to know more about the critics, visit our other blog, http://www.blogger.blissfullynerdy.com/. If you wish to submit a critique of your own, send it to our email.

-Cara :D