What was your reaction to Scott's suicide? How did that plot development affect your opinion of the novel as a whole?

What was your reaction to Scott's suicide? How did that plot development affect your opinion of the novel as a whole?

I wasn't surprised by Scott's suicide, it was obvious the youth was in agony. He was dealing with so much, such a shame he felt he had no where to turn. Didn't sway my opinion of the novel at all.

Unfortunately, suicide is a solution that some youths turn to when they feel helpless. How terribly sad that Molly was trying so hard to do the right thing for her family but just was not able to put herself into Scott's shoes. And how horrible that some young people believe that they are made more important by bullying those whom they perceive as weaker.

I guess I was being too optimistic about the impact that Wes was making on Scott because I was shocked. I had to put the book down for a moment because I was afraid of the damage it would do to Wes.

Ditto tracyd. I thought Wes was on his way to making a difference with Scott. How skillfully the author wove in Scott's departure to get a sweatshirt. I reflected on this for quite a while.

I thought Wes was being a good enough influence on Scott to make a difference. It was upsetting but not totally shocking.

I was shocked and didn't see it coming. However, Scott had so many negative factors in his life. Bullying by his peers and also the shame he felt by his father being in prison was too much for him. Unfortunately, Scott needed a person that could communicate with him verbally at that time. When teenagers feel so hopeless, they really need a person they can talk to.

I was sad, I had hoped that Wes would be able to get him out of his despair. Scott had a lot of baggage but he was young, and I thought had enough time to overcome his past.

The suicide came out of nowhere. I thought I knew where the story was going and sat back to enjoy. Um, it took the fun out of the story.

I was surprised by the suicide. By the author having the police cars pass Wes, I figured he was going to come upon the scene of an accident involving someone he knew. I thought that he was making a difference in Scott's life by giving him something positive in his life with the music. It didn't affect my opinion of the novel as a whole. It seemed that the suicide and the fact that Wes wouldn't attend the funeral was maybe the beginning of Wes and Dennis starting to face their own emotional issues.