Bang

Name: Bang
Brand: Hachette Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Barry Lyga
ISBN: 9781478915393

Author: Barry Lyga

Narrator: Charlie Thurston

Unabridged: 5 hr 37 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers

Published: 04/18/2017

Categories: Children's Fiction, Children's Social Themes

Synopsis

This is Where it Ends, Hate List, and Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock readers will appreciate this heartbreaking novel about living with your worst mistake, from New York Times bestselling author Barry Lyga.

Sebastian Cody did something horrible, something no one--not even Sebastian himself--can forgive. At the age of four, he accidentally shot and killed his infant sister with his father's gun.

Now, ten years later, Sebastian has lived with the guilt and horror for his entire life. With his best friend away for the summer, Sebastian has only a new friend, Aneesa, to distract him from his darkest thoughts. But even this relationship cannot blunt the pain of his past. Because Sebastian knows exactly how to rectify his childhood crime and sanctify his past. It took a gun to get him into this.

Now he needs a gun to get out.

Unflinching and honest, Bang is the story of one boy and one moment in time that cannot be reclaimed, as true and as relevant as tomorrow's headlines. "Fans of 13 Reasons Why will find a lot to like in Lyga's latest." -- Entertainment Weekly

About Barry Lyga

Barry Lyga is the New York Times bestselling author of the I Hunt Killers trilogy as well as such critically acclaimed novels as Boy Toy and Bang. He's also a comic book nerd who geeks out by writing superhero novels, including the Flash series and Thanos: Titan Consumed. He lives outside New York City, in a house bursting with books.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Laura

This just didn't have the effect it should have on me. I didn't cry, I wasn't emotionally invested. I couldn't truly connect to the characters. I appreciated the diversity. The lessons throughout. I can even appreciate how important the subject matter is: gun violence, suicide, Islamophobia. Sebastia......more

Goodreads review by Carole

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books. What a powerful book this turned out to be! I am not someone who cries over books. I have done it before but it may happen only one time every couple of years. I almost couldn't figure out why the page was suddenly blurry but then I real......more

Goodreads review by Tala

Consider me very, very impressed with the way BANG was written, the issues it addressed, and the messages it delivered. In a word: impressive To be completely honest, I went into Barry Lyga's newest novel with pretty high expectations. I mean, seriously. Look at that synopsis. Look at who the author......more

Goodreads review by Dr. Rida

This book was powerful. It was gripping and dark. It wrecked me emotionally. The book follows fourteen year old Sebastian. When Sebastian was four he did something terrible he shot his four month old baby sister accidently. He's been having to live with his horrible past and guilt for the last ten y......more

Quotes

Praise for Bang:
"Affecting, and unfortunately timely, Bang is a read that's worth your inevitable heartbreak."—Entertainment Weekly

"Lyga captures the heartbreak of Sebastian's situation with sensitivity and compassion, exploring how a life can be unfairly defined by just one action, how it's tragically easy to ignore humanity in favor of a headline, and just what communication, love and sharing the truth can do, especially when it comes to forgiving oneself."—The New York Times

* "Heartbreaking and brutally compelling."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "[A] raw exploration of persistent social stigmas, a beautiful study of forgiveness, and an unflinching portrait of a parent's worst nightmare."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "Lyga tackles a number of relevant issues in this heartbreaking novel, including gun control, suicide, and religious and racial prejudice. The pain and anguish Sebastian feels every day are raw and chafing, and the chemistry between Sebastian and Aneesa is tender and realistic."—School Library Journal, starred review

* "Painfully raw and accented with hope and anguish, Bang will connect solidly with older teens looking for a deep and affecting story."—Shelf Awareness, starred review

"Lyga manages his intensely emotional material well, creating in Sebastian a highly empathetic character...."—Booklist

"Bang draws readers in from the first page and holds them captive."—VOYA

"The emotions are effectively detailed but not dauntingly complex, so there's plenty to discuss here for readers who might be lost in greater nuance and appreciate a firm authorial hand."—The Bulletin

Praise for the I Hunt Killers trilogy:* "A superb mystery/thriller that explores what it's like to have a monster for a father...Lyga delivers a taut, gory tale that can easily stand its own as an adult thriller...but it's Jazz's internal conflict about his exposure to his father's evil that adds extra dimension and makes the book shine."—Publishers Weekly, starred review