I was so taken by Lauren Oliver’s book, The Vanishing Girls, that I decided to give her debut novel, Panic, a go! I’ll be interested to see what her other novels are like, because I could definitely tell this was a first go at publishing a novel. Especially compared to the almost perfection that was The Vanishing Girls. This book wasn’t the best thing I ever read, but I enjoyed how Oliver wrote the relationships between all of the characters.
The story is told from the alternating perspectives of Heather and Dodge as they partake in senior Fear-Factor type competition to win $67,000. Now, all of the characters in the book live in a pretty poor town, so that kind of cash could really change someone’s life. At first, Heather has no interest in participating, but then she thinks of how she just got dumped, her best friend Bishop will be leaving for school in the fall, and that she lives in a dumpy trailer park with her drug and alcohol addicted mother. She also wants to get her little sister out of that place. That’s why she tells herself she’s going to jump off a water tower.
Dodge on the other hand is looking for payback. For his sister who’s been paralyzed since she lost in the final competition, joust, a few years back. Luke’s younger brother Ray is competing, so what better way to get and eye for an eye? Both Dodge and Heather are determined in different ways and stand a much better chance than Heather’s best friend (and Dodge’s crush), Natalie. Bishop is fully against Panic and tries his hardest to persuade Heather to drop out, but to no avail.
Throughout all of the insane challenges that Panic has to offer, Heather is facing almost worse challenges at home. When she escapes a violent altercation with her sister Lily in tow, they head to Heather’s boss, Anne’s house. Heather’s been making money there caring for all of her animal, including some tigers! They play an interesting part in the story, and seem to represent a lot of the book’s themes. That’s all I can really say without giving everything away!
I liked how Oliver had a nice mix of emotional and dramatic chapters interspersed with the fast-paced and adrenaline laced descriptions of the game. Heather seems to have complicated relationships with everyone, but it’s apparent to the reader and all of the other characters that they are that way because of Heather’s doing. She’s used to everything being crappy and just assumes everything else will be that way. Luckily, she has friends who are willing to put in the work. Again, not my favorite read, but if you liked the 2016 movie Nerve, this book would be right up your alley!