Vera Dietz Book Review

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A. S. King and focuses on the story of Vera Dietz. Vera is a young girl who begins spiralling down a cycle of alcoholism and depression after her best friend, Charlie dies under mysterious circumstances. The story starts out at the funeral as we learn more about Vera and Charlie relationship and lack of one towards the end of his life. The reader is introduced to Charlie’s friends and we learn how Charlie grew distant from Vera. From the beginning of the novel the reader understands that these friends are not good people and may have had an influence on how he died. It is evident right away that we see that Vera knows something about how Charlie died and is hiding it from everyone. The story grows by switching to the perspectives of different characters as well as flashbacks, which give the reader a better understanding of the events. We gradually learn more about how Vera and Charlie grew apart and how he died as Vera struggles with clearing his name.

One of the strongest parts of this novel is the story. From the very first chapter you are thrust into the world of Vera and can almost feel her pain of losing someone before you can make things right with them. The mystery of what happened to charlie is persistent throughout the whole novel, while the reader gains more and more insight into the events leading up towards charlie’s death. The novel starts out very slow and you have to actively push yourself to read it however once the novel picks up it sucks you in and is impossible to put down. You can really feel Vera’s pain as she struggles to accept the loss of her friend “Inside, I died a little bit. I didn't know what to feel. On one hand, I hated my parents for being who they were. On the other hand, I hated Charlie. Most of all, I hated Jenny Flick”(King 15). The reader becomes exposed to these internal thoughts from Vera which strengthens the story. The plot is so open and the reader has access to so much information that they get to decide the meaning of the story. Throughout the story the reader gets to see exactly who Vera is and how she grows through her loss.

Another really strong aspect to the novel is the changing perspectives. In the novel we constantly change both the time and the perspective of events. The reader gets to hear things from other points of view, from deceased Charlie, to Vera’s dad, to even a pagoda. Much like Racing in the Rain, the unique perspectives in this book do quite a bit to enhance the story and make the reader observe events in a different context. We get to hear Charlie’s point of view in this novel which really helps us view the whole picture and understand the situation better than we could if we only heard from Vera,”I regret everything that happened with Vera. Even back in grade school when I cut up the leprechaun picture. It's hard to explain. As far as I was concerned, I didn't have a choice. I was born to a man like my father and a woman like my mother, and I had to save Vera from myself.”(King 12) In far too many books the reader is forced to only view things from the perspective of the main character in order to get the reader to think a specific way. This book breaks away from that to give unique takes on the events of the story; allowing the reader to reach their own conclusions about the events in the novel. The amount of effort the author puts into this novel really shines and makes this book a must read.

Overall this is a really good novel and I would strongly recommend it. This book can be especially powerful for teenagers as it is very relatable to the things many teenagers have to face. I feel that Vera is an important character and a necessary read. Teenagers struggle through life enough already and any form of help or understanding is important to making sure that they are not alone. This book is really powerful with its message of trusting yourself and standing by your friends. These lessons are incredibly important and this novel shares these ideas in a captivating and powerful story.