Please Ignore Vera Dietz

by A.S. King

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King is a poignant novel about the price one pays for staying silent. The story follows Vera, who is a quiet girl just trying to make it through high school following the sudden death of her best friend, Charlie.

The story is told by Vera after Charlie’s death. She looks back on their friendship—where it started and where it ended. It seemed natural to tell the story through flashbacks while moving forward. Vera’s exploration of key events and conversations in her relationship with Charlie reminded me of my own inner dialogue when trying to make sense of something that didn’t go quite right. There were key points in the story where I wanted to hug her and tell her it was going to be okay.

I wasn’t a fan of some of the other viewpoints that popped up in the story. A local landmark gets a spotlight as does Vera’s father. Vera’s father’s story was better than the local landmark. Vera’s father’s thoughts on Charlie’s death and Vera did provide a bit of added dimension to Vera and her personality, but most of it seemed somewhat obvious based on the information Vera shared. I truly didn’t understand why the landmark had to give its omniscient view of events. It didn’t seem to fit with how the rest of the story was being shared. People where sharing their thoughts and then suddenly this inanimate object is sharing its observations…weird.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz could be a difficult book for some to read. Charlie’s secrets that are slowly revealed over the course of the novel are not easy ones to read about. The story is a lesson on why, when we are knowledgeable about difficult actions, it is not okay to remain quiet. While it may be uncomfortable speaking up, we need to do it as our actions will stop others and perhaps save a life.


This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews