In every class there are always a few kids you try to avoid.
Why shouldn’t you avoid the school bully or, as in the new book “This is Where It Ends” by Marieke Nijkamp, the kid who simmers just beneath his skin.
When it’s still cold outside nobody wants to run laps, but Claire forced herself into extra practice: this was the last track season her team would have together and she wanted to make it memorable. They’d all scatter after graduation, and she’d miss her best friend Chris.
Inside Opportunity High School, Principal Trenton had just finished her comments at daily assembly. They were familiar words and Tomás and Fareed would’ve mocked her, had they been there. Instead, because rumor had it that a boy named Tyler was returning to school and because Ty had been bullying Tomás’s sister, Sylvia, Tomás decided that a little break-in to the school office was warranted.
In the auditorium, the chair between Sylvia and Autumn was empty; Autumn had saved it for her brother, Tyler, and his absence made her nervous. Sylvia understood why: After the accident that took Autumn’s mother’s life, Autumn’s father started drinking; over time, he’d used his fists on both Tyler and Autumn.
Sylvia knew Autumn couldn’t wait to leave Opportunity. That broke her heart; she loved Autumn. She couldn’t make her stay — but she couldn’t bear to let her go, either.
The bell rang, which meant that students had three minutes to dash from auditorium to classroom. Tomás knew they’d mill around for a bit and that class wouldn’t start until the teachers arrived; their noise would give him and Fareed a chance to escape from the office. But there was no noise.
In the auditorium, students were confused. They tried to leave, but the doors seemed to be locked. Or stuck. And then someone began shooting.
Usually when I read, I’m a book-snacker: dip, taste, walk away, return, nibble, nibble, like a literary bag of chips. But this book — this one had me immobile for hours.
And yet, it absolutely wouldn’t be fair to say that “This is Where It Ends” is ripped from the headlines. It’s timely, but it isn’t sensational. Nijkamp also gives readers a story, told over the course of a mere 54 minutes. In that time, we get to know the kids at Opportunity High, their crushes, dreams, their fears, and their morality. That familiarity — as if these kids are your neighbors — will make you shudder.
Meant for readers ages 14 to 17, this is absolutely an adult book, too. If you can handle a novel that feels like yesterday afternoon’s news, then “This is Where It Ends” is one you truly shouldn’t avoid.
“This is Where It Ends,” by Marieke Nijkamp [288 pages, 2016, $17.99].
Terri Schlichenmeyer has been reading since she was 3 years old, and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill with two dogs and 12,000 books.
