Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

Ten years ago, when he was just 4, Sebastian accidentally killed his infant sister with his father's unattended handgun. Now a teen, he struggles to cope with the far-reaching effects of this horrific experience. Though on the surface they've moved on with their lives, Sebastian and his family are still lost in their grief. His father moved out many years before, and Sebastian and his mother have eked out a daily routine, but anguish underpins their every move. When his lighthearted, wealthy, white best friend, Evan, leaves for summer camp, Sebastian thinks that the time is almost right to end his own life, as he's long planned. However, the auspicious arrival of a new neighbor, Aneesa, changes things for him in ways he couldn't have predicted. Rich characterization anchors this explosive novel, from white Sebastian's likable, brainy, but at-times acerbic intensity to Aneesa's upbeat, intelligent kindness. Aneesa is Muslim—her dad is Turkish-American—and she and Sebastian discuss everything from Islamophobia to their families to how to turn his pizza-making hobby into a YouTube Channel. If such details as Sebastian's love of all types of antiquated pop culture seem odd to some teens, they are rooted in his deep desire to turn time back, and there will be others who appreciate these genuine quirks. Regardless, readers will root for him to find some sort of peace. Heartbreaking and brutally compelling. (Fiction. 14-18)

ALA Booklist (Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)

Fourteen-year-old Sebastian lives in the past: when he was four years old, he accidentally shot and killed his four-month-old sister. This haunts him, leading to obsessive self-hate and suicidal feelings. He is waiting, in fact, for the voice in his head to tell him it's time to effect his end. That time seems imminent as his past and future seem to come together, faster and faster til he meets Aneesa. The two become friends, bonding over a YouTube channel they create that features Sebastian making pizzas. As time passes, Sebastian finds himself falling in love and feeling a strange emotion: hope. "For her," he thinks, "For her, yes, I could stay." But does he deserve happiness, and what might happen if she doesn't return his feelings? Lyga manages his intensely emotional material well, creating in Sebastian a highly empathetic character, though his voice seems far too sophisticated for a 14-year-old. Nevertheless, the psychology that drives his decisions is acutely observed, and his story is highly memorable.

Horn Book (Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

Having lived with the knowledge that, as a four-year-old, he accidentally shot and killed his baby sister, Sebastian plans to commit suicide--soon. Aneesa, a new friend unaware of his past, makes him question this plan, and her experiences with bigotry (she is Muslim) expand his worldview. Lyga takes on grief, guilt, faith, prejudice, and gun violence in this moving page-turner.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Ten years ago, when he was just 4, Sebastian accidentally killed his infant sister with his father's unattended handgun. Now a teen, he struggles to cope with the far-reaching effects of this horrific experience. Though on the surface they've moved on with their lives, Sebastian and his family are still lost in their grief. His father moved out many years before, and Sebastian and his mother have eked out a daily routine, but anguish underpins their every move. When his lighthearted, wealthy, white best friend, Evan, leaves for summer camp, Sebastian thinks that the time is almost right to end his own life, as he's long planned. However, the auspicious arrival of a new neighbor, Aneesa, changes things for him in ways he couldn't have predicted. Rich characterization anchors this explosive novel, from white Sebastian's likable, brainy, but at-times acerbic intensity to Aneesa's upbeat, intelligent kindness. Aneesa is Muslim—her dad is Turkish-American—and she and Sebastian discuss everything from Islamophobia to their families to how to turn his pizza-making hobby into a YouTube Channel. If such details as Sebastian's love of all types of antiquated pop culture seem odd to some teens, they are rooted in his deep desire to turn time back, and there will be others who appreciate these genuine quirks. Regardless, readers will root for him to find some sort of peace. Heartbreaking and brutally compelling. (Fiction. 14-18)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Ten years after accidentally shooting and killing his baby sister, 14-year-old Sebastian is haunted by the loss to the point of considering suicide. When he meets Aneesa, a new neighbor whose brown skin and headscarf also make her an outcast, their friendship challenges his views of his self worth. Suddenly, Sebastian is making pizzas for their YouTube channel and not solely focusing on feeling like a pariah, -the kid who killed.- But he can-t outrun his past, and a climactic revelation is a gut punch, returning to the agonized and primal feelings that are essential to this gripping story. Lyga (The Secret Sea) expertly scatters reminders of Sebastian-s burden in benign, tossed-off phrases (of friends with siblings: -half the time it-s like they just wish they could kill them-), the prominence of first-person shooter games, and his best friend-s father-s prized gun collection, each of which reveals another facet of his trauma. It-s a raw exploration of persistent social stigmas, a beautiful study of forgiveness, and an unflinching portrait of a parent-s worst nightmare. Ages 12-up. Agent: Kathleen Anderson, Anderson Literary Management. (Apr.)

Voice of Youth Advocates

When Sebastian was four years old, he shot and killed his baby sister. That accident has colored all aspects of his life ever since. For ten years, he has been going through the motions of living. He and his family are stuck, trapped by the tragedy that marks them. His father left years ago; his mother is barely present; and Sebastian plans to escape the guilt, grief, and pain the same way he entered it, with a gun. As summer stretches before him, with his only friend out of town, Sebastian prepares to enact his plan. Then he meets Aneesa, a Muslim girl in his neighborhood, and their friendship opens the door to change. Bang draws readers in from the first page and holds them captive. The varied structure, authentic teen thoughts and reactions, and Sebastian’s dark inner voice set the pace and deftly disclose layers of truth throughout the book. Although the story is heartrending and raw, most readers will laugh as well as cry. As with previous titles, Lyga excels at helping readers step into an outsider’s shoes, and many will connect with Sebastian’s social awkwardness and struggles. Readers see relatable teens navigating life and death, love and friendship, stigma and belonging, and having fun. Messages about timely topics like gun control, Orwell, and Islamophobia occur naturally, not didactically, in the novel. While some pieces wrap up too neatly, readers know Sebastian will always be shaped by what happened. They are, however, left with a glimmer of hope that his life might not be completely engulfed by the tragedy.—Cheryl French.