Fallout

August 16, 2010
The final installment of the trilogy that began with Crank and Glass examines the impact of Kristina's methamphetamine addiction on three of her children, now teens. Though not raised by their mother, they are still "dealing with the fallout of choices" she made, beginning in her own teenage years, as the narrative shifts among them. Hunter is quick to anger and experiments with substances, too; Autumn suffers from OCD and panic attacks because "things happened" when she was little; and Summer bounces around to different foster homes before running away with her boyfriend. Fans will recognize the author's trademark style: this is a gritty, gripping collection of free verse and concrete poems. Hopkins neatly creates news articles attributed to Associated Press, Variety, and other sources, clueing readers in to the fates of other characters from the first two books. In the end, readers will be drawn into the lives of each of these struggling teens as they deal with complicated home lives, first loves, and a mostly absent mother who "wants to love them," but is too damaged to do so. Ages 14–up.