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A standard story about a teen's downward spiral due to drug abuse - gateways and all.
Follow Lynn through her experiences of being a drug addict. Her encounters with drug dealers and strangers. Accompany Lynn on her nonstop adventures with friends pulling her in opposite directions.
**SPOILER ALERT**
Many people experienced watching someone they love destroy their lives because of drug use. In ``Lynn's Choice, family and friends of the main character, Lynn witness her downward spiral into drug abuse.
The story begins with Lynn as a well-adjusted high school student with a clean-cut best friend (Jade) and loving father. She has a dark side and makes friends with Riva, a drug dealer she met at a party. Lynn and Riva party a lot, and the main character starts a relationship with a cute boy, Jesse, who likes to "get loaded" too. Readers then see Lynn's life fall apart as she experiments with different drugs and gets into an entanglement with bad boy drug dealer, Luke. Her father and best friend remain helpless to keep her from wrecking her life, and she even gets too wild for her drug user boyfriend Jesse to handle.
Lynn's Choice has a lot happening. Kelly tells the story in third-person omniscient style and stays the distant narrator (telling readers what all the characters think and feel instead of showing) throughout. Readers who like to delve deep into a character may find it difficult to connect on a vicarious level. It was hard for me to "feel" what the main character was going through, especially at what could have been tense moments like when she used drugs and during fight scenes.
**SPOILER ALERT**
The following fight scene shows the distance the author uses in her writing:
When she reached the doorway and looked in the room, she felt like she was watching a movie in slow motion and not quite in focus. She shook her head, bent her head down, and closed one eye. It seemed to help her see clearer.
At first all she could see were two bodies moving around. Then the faces became clear: it was Luke and Jesse. They were fighting, rolling on the floor and throwing punches at each other. Then another guy, one of Luke’s friends, jumped in, grabbed Jesse, and held him while Luke beat him. All Lynn could see was Jesse covered in blood. She was paralyzed.
The author keeps everything surface level, even during the characters darkest moments and when she hits rock bottom. Readers who prefer distant reading may like the author's style.
Lynn's Choice hits all the typical elements of a drug abuse tale. The main character starts with a gateway drug (marijuana), and as she uses more and harder substances, it negatively affects her life, and she risks losing everything. The author included a trajectory of dependence, but I had a hard time with the overall addiction theme of the story.
**SPOILER ALERT**
I was born to and raised by addicts. So it was difficult for me to find the ending of this Lynn's Choice believable. The road to recovery is mostly harrowing, and many fall from it, leaving a path of destruction and broken hearts. For me, it was not enough that the main character saw the light and was so sure "she could beat it this time." That's rarely enough to overcome addiction.
Readers searching for a standard drug abuse narration may like Lynn's Choice.
Reviewed by
I have a B.A. in Historical Studies and Literature, an M.A. in Liberal Studies, and an AC in Women and Gender Studies. I am an adjunct instructor, writer and content editor. I have a strong background in literary criticism and have been reviewing books for several years.
Follow Lynn through her experiences of being a drug addict. Her encounters with drug dealers and strangers. Accompany Lynn on her nonstop adventures with friends pulling her in opposite directions.
About the author
My first book, Lynn's Choice, is for YA and NA. I am now working on my second book, working title, A Trip To Uncle Ned's Farm. It is a picture book. I am working on my stick people for the book now. They will be changed. view profile
Published on August 29, 2020
10000 words
Contains mild explicit content ⚠️
Worked with a Reedsy professional 🏆
Genre: Short Story
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