Smoke by Ellen Hopkins

Pattyn and Jackie are obviously survivors.  What I appreciated most about Smoke, by Ellen Hopkins was the fact that the girls didn't just magically heal overnight, in fact, they are still healing at the end of the book.

As usual, for me, it is the character development that secured my interest, and my admiration for the book which is why I would give it four stars, but I have some serious issues with many aspects of the book.

First, smack in the middle of the story, Jackie is suddenly dealing with symptoms of depression and addictive behaviors, a totally plausible situation considering what she has been through.  However, Hopkins never really addresses these problems again.  In fact, the story implies that Gavin's love and the fact that Jackie finally discovers and deals with the truth were the solutions to these complicate and difficult issues.

Next, Hopkins implies that Diedre is psychotic, but the resolution in the end is that she confesses to her crimes.  Really?

Finally, I do appreciate the fact that Hopkins is trying to address and reveal the fact that religious people can be hypocrites that hide behind religion, but I have serious issue with her portrayal of the LDS church as cult like, suppressing women into the role of baby spouting, subservient second class citizens.  One bothersome passage states, "The idea that a woman -even a chosen by God vessel-- might have such power [like that of the Virgin Mary in Catholicism] would never be entertained.  A woman's worth is contained within her uterus."

Truly, I understand that Hopkins is painting a picture of one family and the views of two girls whose experiences are limited, but too frequently, I felt like Hopkins was on a personal soapbox spewing misconceptions and misrepresentation of what anti-LDS critics foster as truth.  Such is the case when Jackie goes off about birth control being "frowned upon by LDS doctrine."  Seriously, for the forty years that I have been associated with the LDS church, this topic has never been anything but a private matter between spouses.

Admittedly, the characters in this book were not likely to have balanced perspectives.  In fact, as an adult, I know to question the validity of the things they say and believe, such is not the case with Hopkin's target audience of young adults who tend to believe what they read.  I truly think that in some instances Hopkins could have accomplished her objective without "targeting" one religion so specifically.

I did read and loved the story of Pattyn in Burned, but I felt similarly about it.  In the end, I see these novels as stories to be discussed in mixed groups of adults and teens where questions about objectivity, perspective, character, voice and societal issues can be addressed.

Originally Published 10/8/2014