The Impossible Knife of Memory

By Laurie Halse Anderson

For the past five years, Hayley Kincaid and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have tortured him since his return from Iraq. Now they are back in the town where he grew up so Hayley can attend school. Perhaps, for the first time, Hayley can have a normal life, put aside her own painful memories, even have a relationship with Finn, the hot guy who obviously likes her but is hiding secrets of his own. Will being back home help Andy’s PTSD, or will his terrible memories drag him to the edge of hell, and drugs push him over? The Impossible Knife of Memory is Laurie Halse Anderson at her finest: compelling, surprising, and impossible to put down.

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Published Jun 2, 2015

432 pages

Average rating: 7.92

12 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

abookwanderer
Oct 09, 2025
6/10 stars
3.5 stars. A good story-serious subject, which is typical for this author-but I didn't get as emotionally connected to this one as I did to Speak or Twisted. I felt like the ending did not do justice to the tumultuous subject matter. However, the characters were unique, and it might have had the best first date or "anti-date" ever.

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