Silent Alarm by Jennifer Banash is a dark novel which follows the story of Alys, whose world shifts dramatically when her brother decides to shoot up her school, killing fifteen, including her boyfriend’s younger sister. The story paints a dramatic landscape of the aftermath, as her family and community struggle to move on from the incident. As Alys only wants things to be normal again, everyone in her life turns on her. While dealing with all this grief and pain she feels, it seems unfathomable that her brother had done such a thing, and she discovers more to her brother, despite the fact that she thought they were closer than anyone. The novel explores themes of grief and depression, as well as community and family.
In my opinion, I think that Silent Alarm is a well-paced book and very engaging. With all of Alys’s introspective thoughts, it makes you really wonder why her brother did what he did and why it was so unpredictable. It keeps the reader engaged throughout, and you can’t help but feel sympathy for the character Banash has created. While some elements were somewhat predictable for a teen novel, I think that for a psychological drama, it hits all of the checkmarks. I also believe it's more for mature audiences, due to the nature of the subject and fear factors, but can be understood by many students. A solid read, and I would recommend it for others' next good read.