The New York Times Book Review - Jen Doll
Lyga captures the heartbreak of Sebastian's situation with sensitivity and compassion, exploring how a life can be unfairly defined by just one action, how it's tragically easy to ignore humanity in favor of a headline, and just what communication, love and sharing the truth can do, especially when it comes to forgiving oneself.
Publishers Weekly
★ 02/27/2017
Ten years after accidentally shooting and killing his baby sister, 14-year-old Sebastian is haunted by the loss to the point of considering suicide. When he meets Aneesa, a new neighbor whose brown skin and headscarf also make her an outcast, their friendship challenges his views of his self worth. Suddenly, Sebastian is making pizzas for their YouTube channel and not solely focusing on feeling like a pariah, “the kid who killed.” But he can’t outrun his past, and a climactic revelation is a gut punch, returning to the agonized and primal feelings that are essential to this gripping story. Lyga (The Secret Sea) expertly scatters reminders of Sebastian’s burden in benign, tossed-off phrases (of friends with siblings: “half the time it’s like they just wish they could kill them”), the prominence of first-person shooter games, and his best friend’s father’s prized gun collection, each of which reveals another facet of his trauma. It’s a raw exploration of persistent social stigmas, a beautiful study of forgiveness, and an unflinching portrait of a parent’s worst nightmare. Ages 12–up. Agent: Kathleen Anderson, Anderson Literary Management. (Apr.)
From the Publisher
Praise for Bang:
"Affecting, and unfortunately timely, Bang is a read that's worth your inevitable heartbreak."
—Entertainment Weekly
"Lyga captures the heartbreak of Sebastian's situation with sensitivity and compassion, exploring how a life can be unfairly defined by just one action, how it's tragically easy to ignore humanity in favor of a headline, and just what communication, love and sharing the truth can do, especially when it comes to forgiving oneself."—The New York Times
* "Heartbreaking and brutally compelling."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "[A] raw exploration of persistent social stigmas, a beautiful study of forgiveness, and an unflinching portrait of a parent's worst nightmare."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "Lyga tackles a number of relevant issues in this heartbreaking novel, including gun control, suicide, and religious and racial prejudice. The pain and anguish Sebastian feels every day are raw and chafing, and the chemistry between Sebastian and Aneesa is tender and realistic."—School Library Journal, starred review
* "Painfully raw and accented with hope and anguish, Bang will connect solidly with older teens looking for a deep and affecting story."—Shelf Awareness, starred review
"Lyga manages his intensely emotional material well, creating in Sebastian a highly empathetic character...."—Booklist
"Bang draws readers in from the first page and holds them captive."—VOYA
"The emotions are effectively detailed but not dauntingly complex, so there's plenty to discuss here for readers who might be lost in greater nuance and appreciate a firm authorial hand."—The Bulletin
Praise for the I Hunt Killers trilogy:* "A superb mystery/thriller that explores what it's like to have a monster for a father.... Lyga delivers a taut, gory tale that can easily stand its own as an adult thriller...but it's Jazz's internal conflict about his exposure to his father's evil that adds extra dimension and makes the book shine."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"I adored this book. The mystery pulls you in from the first pages, and Jazz is a more chillingly charming protagonist than Dexter Morgan."—Cassandra Clare, author of the Mortal Instruments series
"I Hunt Killers is an out-of-control hearse with one busted headlight, blood on the grille, a madman at the wheel, and laughter pouring out of the open windows.. Climb in, buckle up, and go for a ride. It's the best thing in YA fiction since The Hunger Games."—Joe Hill, author of Horns and Heart-Shaped Box
* "Lyga brilliantly combines the feel of a true crime story with mystery, adventure, and psychoanalysis.... This story will appeal to a wide variety of older teen readers."—VOYA, starred review
"There is much to satisfy the blood-and-gore lust of older teen CSI and serial-killer fans."—Kirkus
* "[The game is] orchestrated so cunningly that rare indeed will be the reader who figures it out early.... You can't deny Lyga's ambition to craft the most serious (and bloodiest) crime series yet for teen readers."—Booklist, starred review
*"[A] gory winner with raw appeal..."—School Library Journal, starred review
School Library Journal
★ 02/01/2017
Gr 10 Up—When Sebastian Cody was four years old, he accidentally shot and killed his infant sister with his father's gun. A decade later, in the summer before his sophomore year in high school, he can no longer endure the guilt, everyone's knowing and nervous stares, and the constant feeling that he doesn't deserve to be alive. Sebastian decides to take his own life at the end of the summer in the same way that he took his sister's. Knowing it will all be over soon is a comforting, relaxing thought—until he meets Aneesa, a Muslim girl who has moved in down the street. Aneesa is funny and smart, and, most important, she knows nothing about Sebastian and his horrible past. Together they create a YouTube channel about making pizza, and as they spend more and more time together, Sebastian begins to feel as if there is something left to live for. However, when kids from school start viewing the channel, they recognize Sebastian and leave comments about his sister's death and make crude Islamophobic jokes about Aneesa. A wedge is driven between the two friends, and Sebastian is once again headed toward a destructive end. Lyga (I Hunt Killers) tackles a number of relevant issues in this heartbreaking novel, including gun control, suicide, and religious and racial prejudice. The pain and anguish Sebastian feels every day are raw and chafing, and the chemistry between Sebastian and Aneesa is tender and realistic. With a number of sensitive issues addressed, along with frequent graphic language, this book may be best for a mature audience, who will fully appreciate the unwavering and stark realism. VERDICT A must-have for all libraries serving teens.—Tyler Hixson, School Library Journal
JUNE 2017 - AudioFile
Narrator Charlie Thurston turns in an energetic performance of Lyga’s young adult novel. Sebastian, a high school senior who accidentally shot and killed his infant sister when he was 4 years old, can no longer live with the guilt and determines to end it all. Then he meets his new neighbor, Aneesa. His friendship with Aneesa, a practicing Muslim, gives Sebastian hope that life can be better. The tempo slows down a bit as the two create a YouTube channel featuring Sebastian making different kinds of pizzas but picks up when cruel baby-killer and Islamophobic taunts show up in the video’s comments. Thurston’s skillful pacing as Sebastian reaches the edge of suicide again will keep listeners glued to their earbuds. S.G. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2017-02-14
Ten years ago, when he was just 4, Sebastian accidentally killed his infant sister with his father's unattended handgun. Now a teen, he struggles to cope with the far-reaching effects of this horrific experience. Though on the surface they've moved on with their lives, Sebastian and his family are still lost in their grief. His father moved out many years before, and Sebastian and his mother have eked out a daily routine, but anguish underpins their every move. When his lighthearted, wealthy, white best friend, Evan, leaves for summer camp, Sebastian thinks that the time is almost right to end his own life, as he's long planned. However, the auspicious arrival of a new neighbor, Aneesa, changes things for him in ways he couldn't have predicted. Rich characterization anchors this explosive novel, from white Sebastian's likable, brainy, but at-times acerbic intensity to Aneesa's upbeat, intelligent kindness. Aneesa is Muslim—her dad is Turkish-American—and she and Sebastian discuss everything from Islamophobia to their families to how to turn his pizza-making hobby into a YouTube Channel. If such details as Sebastian's love of all types of antiquated pop culture seem odd to some teens, they are rooted in his deep desire to turn time back, and there will be others who appreciate these genuine quirks. Regardless, readers will root for him to find some sort of peace. Heartbreaking and brutally compelling. (Fiction. 14-18)
