Some things you can't Ignore (Please Ignore Vera Dietz)

King, A. (2010) Please Ignore Vera Diets. New York, NY: Random House

Spoilers!

 

Vera’s best friend just died.  Except that he’s not her best friend anymore.  She loved him. She hated him.  It’s all pretty complicated.  They say his dead body was just thrown onto his lawn.  They say that he started the fire that killed all those animals.  They say a lot of things, but Vera knows not everything they say is true.

Charlie Kahn and Vera were neighbors.  They’ve been best friends since they were children.  Charlie had a sort of rebellious air about him that Vera adored.  He always did his own thing, even if it was weird.  She knew that his father was abusive to his mother, but they kind of just ignored it.  Instead they would hang out in the woods between their houses or go up to the pagoda.  When they were twelve Vera helped Charlie build a tree house in the woods.  They kept improving it, and Charlie would pretty much live there during the summers.  Around that time, Vera’s mom left.  She hooked up with their podiatrist and moved to Las Vegas.  She also started volunteering at the pet shop.  Vera’s dad didn’t belive in pets, but he did believe in working. 

So when she started high school, she started working. Vera’s first job was as a busgirl at a restaurant, and then she worked at Arbys.  During high school Vera and Charlie started seeing less of each other but they still held on to their feelings for one another.  Then Charlie started hanging out with the Detention Heads as he called them.  These losers were always in detention and always doing drugs.  Just when it seemed Vera and his relationship was going to go another step, he ruined it all.  He started listening to these losers, especially Jenny Flick, and to their lies about Vera.  Then he started spilling her secrets and doing really hurtful things.  It culminated with him hitting her.  That was the end of their friendship.

Then one night he shows up asking for help.  She blows him off.  He tells her that Jenny flick is going to do something to the animals and that he is in danger.  She still blows him off.  Even though she thinks he’s being a drama queen, she goes and checks out the pet store that night.  She finds Jenny pouring gasoline all over the shop. She runs, scared and confused, to call the police.  Instead she calls Charlie. He tells her everything is messed up and that he’s going to leave her something.  She can’t think straight and goes home.  The next morning she finds out about Charlie and the pet store.

Now she’s working as a delivery girl for pagoda pizza.  She starts drinking, which her dad is extremely worried about since he is a recovering alcoholic.  Vera starts dating a 23 year old college drop out.  Worst of all, everywhere she goes, she’s seeing Charlie.  1000s of Charlies keep popping up all over the place saying things to her.  Through a lot of mistakes and heartache, eventually she listens to the Charlies.  She goes to the Oak they used to climb and finds a box in Charlies hiding spot.  Inside are notes written to her, as well as evidence to convict a local pervert.  She and her dad take them to the police and she finally tells what she knows about the fire.   After that she and her dad go on a road trip and once again try to bond as a family.

Even though I told this story in chronological order, the book isn’t written that way.  I wrote it that way to make it easier for me.  The book doesn’t give up its secrets so easy.  I’m not sure how I feel about this book.  It’s hard to watch someone be so self-destructive.  At the very least, they start to make strides to help themselves.  I’m also not sure how to classify this book.  For the most part, it’s very much set in reality.  Then you have chapters written by the dead boy, and some from a pagoda’s view point.  It’s kind of strange.  The book has a Printz honor sticker so some people definitely like it.  It’s probably good for teens who like reading about teens with problems.

I read this book because I am required to read a book by A.S. King