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Cracked up to be

Cracked Up to Be Reader??™s ReportParker Fadley used to be perfect. She used to have perfect looks, perfect boyfriend, perfect grades, and a perfect life. She was the head cheerleader, she was popular, and she had it all. And then, something changed, Parker showed up in school drunk, failed her classes, broke up with her boyfriend, quit the cheerleading squad, neglected her appearance, estranged her friends??“ anything she could do to ruin her life, she did. She became self-destructive and hated and is now in danger of not graduating. People are demanding the truth, but she will never give it to them, why and what is eating her In the book Cracked Up to Be, author Courtney Summers follows the spiraling flight path of the queen bee, as she falls from perfect student to perfect mess.

The protagonist and antagonist are ideally placed in this story according to Aristotle??™s Unities and the author??™s characterization of Parker is spot-on, her actions don??™t always make sense, but that is why she does make sense, and it is interesting how Summers does it. Summers created a very interesting plot which mixes the present with mysterious flashbacks to the past, to the events leading up to Parker??™s transformation, in order to keep the suspense, and its intriguing. Cracked Up to Be is an excellent and intense novel because the protagonist is created in a way that you will never forget her. Parker??™s actions do not always make sense, but that is why she does make sense. It is a part of what makes her real.

Real people do not act like characters whose places in a story are neat and follow a consistent chain of events that makes logical sense. And characters that do not make logical sense seem unrealistic. But in this novel, Summers is able to balance that perfectly with Parker, who makes sense even when she does not. Parker??™s voice is also fantastically done; it is distinct and fits her personality well. Parker is a very well-developed character.

You can see Parker??™s downward spiral, her uncaring attitude and the way she lies to herself, and even as so many awful things happen, you will laugh at Parker??™s wry, witty observations. You will laugh, and then you will want to cry, because this book is sometimes heartbreaking. The antagonist is also in an interesting position. Becky used to be Parker??™s underling-one of her good friends. Now she is taking over Parker??™s position on the cheerleading squad, and dating the most popular guy in the school; Parker??™s ex-boyfriend, ever since Parker started to turn away from everything and everyone. Becky is still unsatisfied. She keeps on getting Parker into trouble because she thinks the way Parker reacts these days is just a plea for attention, but all Parker wants is to be left alone.

What is still interesting is that the way Becky talks and reacts doesn??™t make her seem as bad. She is a good girl that might still cares for Parker, but sometimes jealousy and how her boyfriend is still not over Parker can easily give Becky reasons to be against Parker. Not all of Becky??™s reaction makes sense, which made her seems realistic, but she is there to ruin the moments, which is the antagonist??™s job. The plot in this novel is clearly stated according to Aristotle??™s Unities. After a few pages of introduction, it drives you directly into a question you would have in your mind. As the story goes on, the question goes into all kinds of details.

The most interesting thing is how Summer mixes present with mysterious flashbacks that tells bit by bit the secret Parker was trying to hide from, which is the question the reader wonders. Summers gives flashbacks in italics of the night where something big happened, adding a bit more to it each time, teasing the reader. It is very frustrating not knowing what happened, but that is when you can??™t help feeling being drawn to Parker, her pain, and her secrets. It just makes you want to continue reading. Summers slowly dole out the mystery of the cause of Parkers pain through skillfully placed flashbacks throughout the novel, while at the same time forcing her to confront her feelings slowly, through her parents, the boy she likes, her ex-boyfriend, and even her dog, in a realistic and affecting manner.

At the end, when you start to put all the flashbacks together, things would start to make sense. When the author adds one last touch to the flashbacks and put them all together then reveal them with nothing held back, the reader would start to understand Parker??™s real pain, the tension will be palpable, which is also the climax point. This book??™s plot has followed Aristotle??™s Unities ideally, but in a different form that uses the flashbacks to reveal the Parker??™s secret, which is done very interestingly.

This is a powerful novel that is difficult to put down, and it is so stuffed with sarcastic wit that it will have you laughing one minute, and catch you off guard the next. Summers??™ sharp, engaging prose combined with a dark, haunting story and excellent characterization makes it more captivating than ever. And no matter how many hints Summers drops, you will never be able to guess Parker??™s terrible secret because of the mysterious flashbacks Summers put. However, Parker??™s secret is so unspeakable; she would rather die than telling. Do you want to know what it is

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