‘Wrecked’ Louisa Reid

I wasn’t really meant to be reading this one yet, but as I was adding it to stock in work, I read a couple of pages & was absolutely unable to put this down. ‘Wrecked’ is a powerful verse novel, aimed at a YA audience. Told from the point of view of 18 year old Joe, we very quickly learn that he has been in a very intense relationship, but that something has gone terribly wrong, and he is now on trial for dangerous driving for causing the death of a woman in a car accident.

The narrative swaps between the current trial and the months before it, when he first meets Imogen. They quickly fall for each other, but it becomes clear that Imogen is a very complex person and their relationship features great highs along with desperate lows. Through Joe’s voice we hear how confused he is about his feelings for Imogen, sometimes feeling deeply in love, yet at others not so sure. Ultimately, he initially says he was driving the car that caused the death of the woman, but the circumstances were not at all straightforward and Joe has backed himself into a corner that he may not be able to find a way out of.

Joe is a wonderful character, and this book gives the reader a relatively unusual voice that couldn’t be further from the toxic masculinity that I feel is often depicted in YA titles. Joe is aware that, as a big, good-looking lad, others often see him as hard, yet we see his uncertainty, sensitivity, and constant battle to try to do the right thing, be that for his family, friends or for Imogen. For me, this focus is very welcome indeed, and I think it’s a shame that many YA male characters aren’t always shown as having such sensitivity. Books need to give young people an honest view of others, and skewing in a more negative direction gives a false impression of masculinity.

There are many other themes explored in this title, including terminal illness, domestic violence and abortion. These are delt with seriously and nothing is trivialised. This is an excellent YA verse novel, and I am looking forward to a time when I can actively promote this to students when we do finally return fully to school.