Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Since this was my second time reading Crank, I took care to notice differences between this reading and the first.  The first thing I noticed was that I had a terrible time motivating myself to begin reading the book a second time.  While Crank is extremely powerful and is a novel I would highly recommend reading, the content was so emotionally wrenching that I really did not want to subject myself to the "emotional roller coaster" a second time.  That being said, once I actually started reading, I could not put the book down.  I think I read it even quicker the second time than I did the first!

In terms of my understanding of the characters and my ability to connect with Kristina/Bree, I think reading the book a second time was extremely helpful.  Throughout my first reading, I was so shocked and upset by what was happening to Kristina that I could barely wrap my head around her addiction and her "alter ego."  While reading the second time, I had a better understanding of Kristina and of the emotions and events that led "Bree" to take over.  As I re-read the novel, it still terrified me how quickly Kristina became addicted and allowed the drugs to completely change her life.  Within the course of six months, not only is Kristina severely addicted, but she is also almost broke and expecting a baby.  It is amazing how someone who is a good student and a good person can get caught up in addiction so severely and so suddenly.

As I read the novel a second time, I was better able to notice the way that Hopkins arranges the phrases of the verse novel.  Often, the words and phrases will take the shape of the very thing Kristina is referring to in that particular passage.  For example, when Kristina discusses the heart tattoo Adam gave her, the words form the shape of a heart.  While I noticed this to some extent during my first reading, I was able to catch even more of these instances as I re-read the novel.

Possibly one of the scariest aspects of reading this novel (both times) is that, as Hopkins describes Kristina's drug use, I found myself becoming very curious about how a person feels while experiencing being high on this drug.  This disturbed me (and continues to disturb me).  Then, as I read the horrible withdrawal symptoms that Kristina was experiencing, I remembered that this drug is particularly addictive and extremely horrible for the body.  So I guess what I'm trying to convey (although it is really difficult for me to explain how I felt as I read this novel), is that I consistently experienced both a curiosity and a repulsion for this drug as I read Crank.  I don't know if Hopkins' intention was to take the reader along on an emotional roller coaster, but that is definitely what this novel does for me.  Especially during my second reading, I allowed myself to really identify with Kristina.  As I re-read, I was better able to feel how powerless a person (in this case Kristina) is to their addiction (the "monster").