ALA Booklist

The perennially popular Hopkins returns with another timely novel about an urgent issue; this time it's the violence that threatens the lives of her ensemble cast of six young adults. Indeed, it is "Violence" itself that tells their stories in a combination of Hopkins' signature verse and straightforward, unornamented prose. There is Rand, filled with rage at the man who abused him as a child; Cami, his wife, a small-time drug dealer; Silas, a white supremacist; Noelle, brain damaged in a car accident and secretly in love with beautiful Grace; Daniel, a homeless boy who also loves Grace; and Ashlyn, whose father stabbed her mother to death. The lives of all of the teens are interconnected, sharing the common potential that violence might change even end eir lives. Hopkins does a fine job of avoiding the didactic while creating a compelling, page-turning story. Yes, there are guns, but it is made obvious that death can come in other ways, for violence never takes a vacation. Librarians should expect a large demand for this one.

Kirkus Reviews

Violence narrates a tale of intersecting lives.A gun used in an accidental domestic shooting ends up in the hands of one of six Tucson teens whose feelings about guns and violence, immigration and racial superiority, love and sex are explored. Their urges for power—over their own lives or others'—tempt them to consider violent acts. As the day of a pro-immigration rally and counterprotest nears, readers are left guessing which character will kill and which will die, as Violence promises. Violence alternates between free verse omniscient third-person narration and switching to second-person present tense to invite readers into the mind of each major character. Silas finds a sense of belonging in a white supremacist group and is disgusted by his mother's Jewish boyfriend and father's Mexican girlfriend; Daniel is left feeling bitter when his Honduran mother is deported and his white father dies, leaving him to live with the white wife and son who were not aware of his existence; and Noelle is a depressed, white, closeted teen, suffering seizures following a tragic brush with gun violence. This structure effectively illustrates how otherwise normal people can become killers. The book avoids glamorizing gun violence and bigotry as the characters are difficult to empathize with. The final revelation, though surprising on a plot level, lacks the emotional impact that the subject matter deserves.An interesting thought experiment. (Prose/fiction hybrid. 16-18)

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

Writing via an omniscient narrator called Violence, which also slips into the minds of characters, Hopkins (The You I-ve Never Known) tackles issues of immigration policy, racism, gun control, and the idea that -Given the right circumstances,/ any person could kill someone.- The book introduces a network of teens and shows how -each possesses an incentive/ to pick up a gun, pull the trigger.- There-s new father Rand, itching for revenge on his former scoutmaster, who was recently released from prison; Rand-s wife, Cami, also a new parent, who-s secretly dealing drugs to make extra cash; Ashlyn, who wants power on her own terms, and her boyfriend, white nationalist Silas; and Daniel, a homeless teen whose love for a girl is growing desperate. Tempers simmer and suspense builds as the characters make plans to attend or protest a pro-immigration rally. Someone will die on the day of the rally, and the explosive and highly ironic event asks questions about the phrase -Guns don-t kill people. People kill people.- Set in Arizona, a state with an open-carry gun policy, this powerful story will spark controversy and prompt passionate debate. Ages 14-up. Agent: Laura Rennert, Andrea Brown Literary. (Sept.)

School Library Journal

Gr 10 Up-This novel-in-verse illuminates the potentially powerful and dangerous allure of guns but ultimately lets the message overpower the story. Set in Tucson, AZ, Hopkins's latest follows six teens who have all been witness to or victim of violence in their lives. Over the course of several days, their relationships are tested and ideologies clash. Readers are warned that someone will shoot a gun and someone will die, and as tensions build, it becomes clearer that each character has an incentive for pulling the trigger. Although this novel's themes are timely, the story often comes off as sensationalized, and its characters' traumatic experiences seem forced rather than organic. The alternating verse and second person prose narrative, which switches focus among the six protagonists, makes connecting with each individual especially challenging. Were it not for direct references to age, readers might assume they were in their 20s or 30s by the way they act and speak. This characterization, combined with the story's difficult subject matterincluding physical and sexual violence, explicit language, drug use, and racially motivated hatredmakes this novel best suited for a new adult audience. Hopkins has a talent for creating tension and apprehension, and the dramatic ending will no doubt leave readers talking. VERDICT Sure to be a divisive novel, both for its storytelling and themes, this offering spotlights critical social issues but misses the mark on its delivery. Lauren Hathaway, University of British Columbia