"Struck By Lightning" by Chris Colfer

Struck By Lightning by Chris Colfer

Little, Brown and Company publishing: November 2012

Purchase HERE

          Holy Crap!  Not a lot of books are capable of leaving me in tears or even shell-shocked, but congratulations Chris Colfer: YOU DID IT!  You have won the “Made Lizzy Cry Award”.  Cherish it, because not even the like of Nicholas Sparks has come close to this prestigious honor.  I finished this book at about 10:40 and sat in absolute shock until my shift at the front desk ended.  It’s now been about 24 hours, and I’m still trying to wrap my mind around this piece of writing.

          Obviously, the fact that CHRIS COLFER wrote this book compelled me to buy it initially.  I saw the name calling out to me and, as a former Gleek, couldn't stop myself from spending part of my grocery budget on it.  After reading the inside-flap summary, I basically ran to the cash register.  Carson Philips is a wannabe-big-town-journalist in a small town.  In order to make his dreams come true he has to create a literary magazine with submissions from other students.  Since normal advertising didn’t mobilize his classmates, Carson resolves to blackmail to get results.  On almost every page I was either laughing or at least smiling goofily.  Colfer’s humorous writing made me fall in love with the narrator (Philips) and his sarcastic look at life. 

          If I could change something about this book, it would be the ending.  I’m not going to give anything away, but the unexpectedness of it reminded me of the ending of Medea by Euripides (she flies away with a golden chariot and dragons).  No, there are no flying chariots or dragons in this book, but I still feel like it was too much of a stretch. 

          To end, I would recommend this book for any big-town people stuck in a small town.  You’ll be able to sympathize with the main character and enjoy the jokes.  I can’t really identify a good age range for this book, because it is a really simple read but some of the crude language may shock younger readers.  I also recommend this book for people who love a good laugh.  I laughed my way through this book, and was pleasantly surprised with the change in attitude during the last few chapters.  The seriousness helped bring out the learn-able lesson of standing up for yourself and fighting for what you believe in.

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