Please Ignore Vera Dietz, by A.S. King

Vera and Charlie rode the bus, roamed the woods, ate lunch, and shared secrets together. They even (secretly) loved each other. Due to "difficult" parents and a run-in with the wrong crowd they came to (publicly) hate each other. King begins with the end: Charlie has died and is being accused of a horrible crime posthumously. Vera knows who truly committed the crime and through a series of recounts, that bounce from one perspective and time to the next, we learn why she has waited so long to reveal the truth and what she has to work through emotionally to arrive at the point where it's possible for her to reveal all.

Charlie's spirit is ever-present; nagging her to clear his name and begging her to forgive him for his betrayal. He speaks through the washed up pizza delivery guy, thousands of Charlies squeeze into Vera's car, and he becomes the pickle on her Big Mac. Vera isn't sure if it's the alcohol or reality. She has loads of issues to work through: her mother leaving at the age of 11, knowing Charlie's deepest secrets, and dating an older guy. Her Dad is by her side as he unloads much of his own emotional baggage and the two finally arrive at a place where happiness is not a given, but is at least a possibility.

This book can be confusing and uncomfortable at times due to the skipping around in time, presence of spirits, and sexually related events that would be difficult for anyone to process, much less a teenager. Yet, this spastic approach finds a flow and mirrors the uncertainty that is Vera's life.