Book Blog: COLLATERAL by Ellen Hopkins

When I realized one of my WIPs was pretty much insisting on being written in verse, I realized I needed to read more books in that form. One of the most popular YA verse novelists today is Ellen Hopkins. Collateral, however, is a novel written for an adult audience...possibly New Adult? Well, it was shelved in general fiction. Anyway, one of the many things I loved about Collateral was how, although it was primarily written in free verse, Hopkins interspersed occasional poems written in form, and they're written by the protagonist's boyfriend. It blew my mind. It was a way to get inside his head and understand the awful things he was going through, so instead of just viewing him as a total meanie-face, I could make better sense of his actions.

As with many of the verse novels I've read over the past few months, I did not want to put this sucker down. It was tense, and the verse itself was easy to read, often breathtaking in its beauty.

description from Goodreads:
Written in Hopkins’s stunning poetic verse style, Collateral centers on Ashley, an MFA student at San Diego State University. She grew up reading books and never dreamed she would become a military wife. One night she meets a handsome soldier named Cole. He doesn’t match the stereotype of the aggressive military man. He’s passionate and romantic. He even writes poetry. Their relationship evolves into a sexually charged love affair that goes on for five years and survives four deployments. Cole wants Ashley to marry him, but when she meets another man, a professor with similar pursuits and values, she begins to see what life might be like outside the shadow of war.

Meet Ashley, a graduate student at San Diego State University. She was raised in northern California reading poetry and singing back-up in her best friend’s band. The last thing she ever expected was to end up a military wife. But one night, she meets a handsome Marine named Cole. He doesn’t match the stereotype of the aggressive military man she’d always presumed to be true; he’s passionate and romantic, and he even writes poetry. Their relationship evolves into a deeply felt, sexually charged love affair that goes on for five years and survives four deployments. Cole desperately wants Ashley to marry him, but when she meets another man, a college professor, with similar professional pursuits and values, she begins to see what life might be like outside the shadow of war. - See more at: http://ellenhopkins.com/Adult/collateral/#sthash.oPaCANks.dpuf

Meet Ashley, a graduate student at San Diego State University. She was raised in northern California reading poetry and singing back-up in her best friend’s band. The last thing she ever expected was to end up a military wife. But one night, she meets a handsome Marine named Cole. He doesn’t match the stereotype of the aggressive military man she’d always presumed to be true; he’s passionate and romantic, and he even writes poetry. Their relationship evolves into a deeply felt, sexually charged love affair that goes on for five years and survives four deployments. Cole desperately wants Ashley to marry him, but when she meets another man, a college professor, with similar professional pursuits and values, she begins to see what life might be like outside the shadow of war. - See more at: http://ellenhopkins.com/Adult/collateral/#sthash.oPaCANks.dpuf

Meet Ashley, a graduate student at San Diego State University. She was raised in northern California reading poetry and singing back-up in her best friend’s band. The last thing she ever expected was to end up a military wife. But one night, she meets a handsome Marine named Cole. He doesn’t match the stereotype of the aggressive military man she’d always presumed to be true; he’s passionate and romantic, and he even writes poetry. Their relationship evolves into a deeply felt, sexually charged love affair that goes on for five years and survives four deployments. Cole desperately wants Ashley to marry him, but when she meets another man, a college professor, with similar professional pursuits and values, she begins to see what life might be like outside the shadow of war. - See more at: http://ellenhopkins.com/Adult/collateral/#sthash.oPaCANks.dpuf