Review: Triangles by Ellen Hopkins

Title: Triangles
Author: Ellen Hopkins
Published: October 18th 2011
Source: Purchased
Genre: Adult Contemporary
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Caution: May contain spoilers

Three female friends face midlife crises in #1 New York Times bestselling author Ellen Hopkins’s no-holds-barred exploration of sex, marriage, and the fragility of life. Holly is filled with regret after eighteen years at home with her three children. She sheds sixty pounds and loses herself in the world of extramarital sex. Andrea is a single mom watching her friend Holly’s meltdown with a mixture of concern and contempt. Holly is throwing away what Andrea has spent her whole life searching for. So what if she picks up Holly’s castaway husband? Marissa has more than her fair share of challenges—a gay, rebellious teenage son; a terminally ill daughter; and a husband who buries himself in his work.

As one woman’s marriage unravels, another’s rekindles. As one woman’s family comes apart at the seams, another’s reconfigures into something bigger and better. In this story of connections and disconnections, one woman’s up is another one’s down, and all of them will learn the meaning of friendship, betrayal, and forgiveness.

Unflinchingly honest, emotionally powerful, surprisingly erotic, Triangles is the ultimate page-turner, told in gorgeous, expertly honed poetic verse that perfectly captures the inner lives of Hopkins’s unforgettable characters.

My Thoughts:

Being the huge Ellen Hopkins fan that I am, when I found out she was going to step into Adult Contemporary for her next novel, I was thrilled. I've read practically all of her Young Adult novels and absolutely loved them. There's something about the characters and story lines she puts together that throw you smack dab into a situation that could really happen. These stories aren't just some formulaic "everyone lives happily ever after"--they often showcase real life consequences, not all of them painful and tragic, sometimes they're good learning experiences.

Like in the case of this book, there are a lot of lessons to be learned for all of the characters. Parents dealing with their children, trying to make sure they make the right decisions. Husbands and wives struggling to keep their marriage in tact despite the obstacles in their way. I can't go into detail on these things without giving away how the story goes and ends. It goes to show how the little things and the big things can bring people together or tear them apart.

The characters themselves were believable, and I found myself either infuriated, frustrated, fascinated, or respecting them. My favorite character was Marissa's son, Shane. He was one of those persons you just want to applaud for how great they are. He was constantly doing these wonderful things for his mom and sister. It makes me really want to read the YA companion novel, Tilt, that has his POV.

Triangles is definitely compelling. There's something about Ellen Hopkins' books, like this crashing fluidity of the facts of life. The way she brings out these serious issues within marriage and between lovers and among children. This strong tie between it all keeps me reading to find out how people really think about things, to understand why they act the way they do. I really enjoyed this one, maybe not as much as I do her YA books, but it was still amazing just the same.

My Rating: