People Kill People | Book Review

People Kill People

Written by: Ellen Hopkins

Number of Pages: 431

Average Rating: 3.88 / 5 stars

My Rating: 4 / 5 stars

Published in September 2018

Read in December 2018

Summary According to Goodreads

Someone will shoot. And someone will die.

A gun is sold in the classifieds after killing a spouse, bought be a teenager for needed protection. But who was it? Each has the incentive to pick up a gun, to fire it. Was it Rand or Cami, married teenagers with a young son? Was it Silas or Ashlyn, members of a white supremacist youth organization? Daniel, who fears retaliation because of his race, who possessively clings to Grace, the love of his life? Or Noelle, who lost everything after a devastating accident, and has sunk quietly into depression?

One tense week brings all six people into close contact in a town wrought with political and personal tensions. Someone will fire. And someone will die. But who?

My Thoughts

I received an ARC of this novel while attending BEA this year, but that does not influence my opinion. 

As many of you already know, I am Canadian and so was likely not the target audience for this novel. Canada has fairly strict gun laws, and we are not openly armed as many states seem to be. There is much discussion and political uproar regarding gun safety, and I think this novel is an important contributor to the issue as it tries to show both sides of the argument, while still getting all the important statistics out. 

My biggest critique would have to be the lack of pacing. Considering this entire novel takes place within seven days, it felt much longer and dragged out at times. There were some moments I think could have been edited down, because near the end it started to all blend together and seem unnecessary. I would have preferred less detail in the middle of the novel, and instead had more in the end/epilogue where we see the characters in adulthood after the trauma. An incident such as the one these characters experience would have huge psychological effects, and I would have liked to see how it affected their personality. 

If I were to break down my rating for this novel I would say that the overall plot and execution were a 3, the characters were a 3, the ending was a 4, and the free verse narration between perspectives was a 5. There were some poems from this narrator that gave me chills, and it was so impactful for a story that had such a heavy plot line. It is never clear who the narration is, but I interpreted it as greed and chaos.

Overall, this wasn’t my favourite novel of hers, but it was still an engaging and powerful read - although it was a slower read than usual. I enjoyed the multiple perspectives, the connection between all of the characters, and the surprise ending. I would recommend this novel if you are a fan of contemporary novels that tackle real issues, enjoy Ellen Hopkins’ other works, or are looking to get into free verse novels.