As a high school student, I went into this book wanting to hate it. Many of my classmates succeeded in this venture. My disdain, however, disappeared between Gene's jealousy and his intense conflict with his dark intentions. Filled with understandable, realistic characters, this novel touches its readers with loss - of a friend, of a first love, of innocence. The prose is beautiful and compelling; I finished this novel long before it was due. Knowles's exploration of the nature of jealousy and envy is both rich and difficult to read, as it rings so true. This is absolutely one of those books that everyone should read once, even if they end up hating it.