This could be far beyond the scope of appreciation for most young adult readers. How it Ends is an unforgettable story with unexpected moments.
Grandma Helen was determined to share a past with Hanna that wasn't entirely true. She didn't want to disappoint the child with more of life's painful stories. While she always felt a little guilty about the deception, it wasn't until Hanna became fifteen, and Helen discovered she, herself, was terminally ill, that she truly felt the depth of her remorse. She needed to tell Hanna the truth, but she was terrified of being rejected by the girl she had grown to love so much, a little girl she had helped raise.
As Hanna got older, her interests shifted away from spending nearly every moment with Grandma Helen to more "adult" things . . . fashion, parties, boys (especially Seth). She practically willed him to notice her and fall in love with her. When they did get together, their relationship was rocky, and Hanna was left with a need to seek solace and advice. Thinking to kill two birds with one stone, Hanna convinces her principal to let her do the school's required community service time by helping take care of Helen. This would allow Hanna to get her credit hours, and Grandpa Lon could have some time to get work done without worry.
Unfortunately, by this time, Grandma Helen is not only wheelchair-bound but also unable to communicate in more than blinks of the eye for yes or no. To fill the time, they listen to an audiobook entitled "How it Ends." What Hanna doesn't know is that it's the true, emotional and turbulent journey of Helen and Lon's life. It is filled with loss, loneliness, and anguish, but, most importantly, the reality of what love can be when it's true and committed. Hanna becomes absorbed in the characters' lives, empathizing with them, sharing their pain and feeling anger toward their situations. She goes home each night and tells her mom about it, all the while anxious to get back the next day to hear more.
And then one day it's over, and she starts to put things together. What she realizes is nothing she could have ever expected, and the result is more horrific than anyone could have imagined. Hanna has learned some important things about life, but will she be able to recover from the reality she's now forced to face?
I have read every book written by Laura Wiess, and this was, by far, the best. In fact, this is the first one I read, and I found myself disappointed with the others, even though they were each good in their own way. I have said before that Wiess is not afraid to write things "real." She doesn't give young adult girls fairy tale relationships. She gives them grit. I worry, though, that How it Ends is going to be wasted on the intended audience. There is so much substance to this book that it's a shame it won't be read by a broader age group. In fact, I've recommended it to several of my library patrons, and not one has been a teenager, as of yet.
The story is told in alternating viewpoints. At first, we get Hanna and Helen. Once Helen's disease progresses, her viewpoint is replaced by the audiobook which is not just Helen's story, but also that of a woman she knew for a short time who had her own sad tale to tell. Hanna's chapters consist of her obsession with getting Seth to like her, their relationship ups and downs, and her flirtatious friendship with a slightly older guy. As she spends time with Helen, her thoughts become more meaningful, and I was affected by the way she described her frustration with what Helen must be going through. It was so spot-on, that Wiess must have had someone in her life who went through something similar.
The thought I will leave you with, which is the same one I give my patrons, is how I reacted when I neared the end of the book. I could barely keep up with myself when trying to reach the end, but there came a part where I literally gasped out Oh my . . .NO! I threw the book down and had to walk away from it. I paced my house for 15 minutes, wanting to know what would come next, but not wanting it at the same time. When I finally returned, and finished the book, I had tears streaming down my face. This is one of those books that stayed with me, and I was unable to pick up a new one for a few days afterward. It was just that good.