This book is desperately sad, and part of me wishes I hadn't read it. The voice of the narrator, almost thirteen year old Hope, is painfully clear and realistic as she tries to comprehend what has caused her to lose her sister. At times I thought the story must be taking place at least 30 or 40 years ago because the girls seemed so isolated and naive, but it's a modern story of girls isolated by poverty and abuse. ( )

This is not an easy book to read.

It’s a novel in verse, a format that has been known to put off many readers who aren’t used to it. Furthermore, the subject is a very difficult one emotionally, as it deals with child abuse, dysfunctional families, and trauma in a very raw, hands-on way.

The writing is rich and haunting, unpretentious, and really manages to put the reader in the mindset of a thirteen-year-old girl grappling with very adult questions, trying to understand why her beloved sister would hold a shotgun, fingering the trigger, thinking about leaving her.

I find the title very appropriate, as each poem is an episode, a glimpse that offers further clues as to how our protagonist feels, what she can remember, and the way she pieces together the clues so she can comprehend what’s happening to her and what happened to her sister.

Sometimes, a glimpse of these troubling issues is all we can stand, but even that can be enough to make us alert to those suffering, often before our own very eyes. ( )

Glimpse is a YA novel written in verse, which shares the story of two sisters, who live with their mother. Their father passed away years ago and Mom is trying to take care of her girls. Hope and Liz find strength together as Mom turns to alcohol and a life inappropriate for her girls. Something changes in Liz and Hope does not understand. When Liz is found with a gun, doctors are brought in to help. Will their family secrets be revealed before Liz and Hope lose each other forever? ( )

This book was very disappointing. I guess I set my standards to high after reading Ellen Hopkins books. It wasn't realistic to me. ( )

Told in verse, thirteen year old Lizzie is devastated when her older sister Hope attempts suicide and is hospitalized, and somewhere inside her Lizzie is certain she knows the reason behind her sister’s altered mental state, but is she prepared to face it?

I think most readers will figure out Hope’s devastating secret before Lizzie does, there’s still a great deal of suspense though in wondering when Lizzie will put together the pieces, and what, if anything she’d do about it.

This is not the happiest of stories, it’s upsetting and awful, your heart will hurt for these girls, it’s tough to read stuff like this, it’s tough to be reminded that this doesn’t just happen in fiction, so this is definitely not a book to turn to if you’re looking for something uplifting, but if you’re braced for the content, for feeling angry and sad, it’s truly well-written, emotional reading experience, with a tender, protective connection between the sisters. ( )