Bitter End Book Response

Book Title: Bitter End
Author: Jennifer Brown
Year of Publication: 2011
Number of Pages: 354
AR Points Awarded: 13

Literary Elements
Narrator - First person, Alex. “...when I used them she told me I was a born poet, which was kind of cool.” p. 1
Protagonist - Alex is a teenage girl who loves to write poetry. She lacks love in her life because her mom died when she was young, and her dad doesn’t pay attention to her. She values her best friends, Zack and Bethany, more than anything. “If I had to describe my best friend, Bethany, on one word, it would be persistent. Or maybe unrelenting. Or, if I were writing her into a poem, I might use importunate...” p. 1
Antagonist - Cole seems to be a good guy. He treats Alex well, and he seems to be a great boyfriend, but he turns into the antagonist when he begins beating her. “...I stumbled from the force of his shove and fell backward, toppling over my chair and smacking my hip hard against the floor.” p. 194
Setting - Most of the story takes place in Alex’s school and neighborhood, but some of the important parts take place at Cole’s house. Neighborhood: “I stepped off the front porch, grabbing Cole’s hand, and walked down the driveway, then turned left on the sidewalk toward the neighborhood playground where Zack and Bethany and I used to play...” p. 87. Cole’s house: “The house was completely dark when we walked in. Cave-like, almost. And had it not been for the echoing drone of sitcom dialogue off in the distance, followed by bouts of prerecorded laugh track, I’d have thought for sure Cole and I were alone.” p. 166. The setting in Cole’s house indicates that bad things will happen there later. It sets a dark mood for the story.
Conflict - Even though Cole was beating Alex physically the whole story, I think the main conflict was man versus self. Alex had a really tough time coming to terms with what was happening and breaking it off with Cole. “I believed him and I didn’t. I hated him and I didn’t. I loved him and I didn’t.” p. 240
Theme - The main theme of the story is that no one deserves to go through what Alex did, and dating violence is a real problem. If a person needs help, they should ask for help. “But I know you, Alex. You’re not stupid. You’re just caught up in something too big to handle on your own.” p. 332
Historical Context - Cole calls Alex “Emily Dickinson” since she is a good poet, and she’s a very famous historical author. “‘I don’t read a lot of poetry, but this...’ He gazed at the paper again. ‘Wow. You’re like...Emily Dickinson or something.’” p. 41

Reflection
I really liked Bitter End. I thought it was easy to read, and it had a really good message. Dating violence is a real problem and I like reading books about “tough” issues. I really identified with the main character, Alex. She was just a regular high school girl trying to fit in, and she just ended up with the wrong person. She was way too trusting of people, and I feel like I can be that way sometimes. It reminded me of a lot of books I’ve read about tough subjects such as suicide, violence, or eating disorders. It tackled a tough issue in a way that made sure the reader will not forget what she’s read for a long time. I don’t know if this book would make a good movie because I feel like it would be kind of like Twilight, and everybody would hate the main character. Alex gets very stupid during the middle and end of the book. She ditches her friends for a guy who abuses her, and she changes to become a not very nice person. I would recommend the book to high school girls because it is easy to relate to for them, and it provides valuable lessons about love and life. It didn’t end quite like I expected. I expected Alex and Cole to not end up together, but I didn’t expect him to beat her nearly to death and land her in the hospital. However, I did like the ending when Bethany, Zack, and Alex ended up going on their trip to Colorado.