Ellen Hopkins is one of the most frequently challenged young adult authors of the 21 century. She is known for not being afraid to tackle controversial issues and taking on topics such as drug addiction, sexual abuse or teen prostitution. Her novels have been very popular among teens and adults alike. Ellen Hopkins recently visited the Johnson County Library to talk about her books. It was at her event, where I learnt about Triangles, Hopkins’ first novel for adults. As soon as I started reading the novel, I was captivated and blown away.
In Triangles, Hopkins offers a powerful realistic portrait of three women around the age of forty whose lives are quite different from each other, but who are linked by ties of family and friendship. In typical Hopkins’ fashion, the story is told in a free verse format by the three heroines. Holly is a gorgeous stay-at-home mom with a seemingly perfect life who no longer finds fulfillment in being just a mother and wife. Andrea, Holly’s friend, is a hard working single mom who searches for love. Marissa, Andrea’s sister, has an absentee husband, a rebellious gay teenage son and a four-year-old daughter who is dying. As their stories unfold, they each face events and decisions that alter their lives forever.
Triangles is an incredible, highly readable book that will appeal to adult readers who are not afraid of hard topics and explicit sexual content. This is not a book for a teenage audience. The book could be a good pick for adult book groups, because of the beautiful writing style and countless discussable topics. I believe that this book would be also enjoyed by Jodi Picoult’s fans. Collateral, Ellen Hopkins’ next adult novel about deployment and what that means to those left behind, is scheduled to come out in the fall of 2012.