School shooting have been the center of news articles, TV broadcasts, and numerous nonfiction and fiction stories. For this reason, it’s even more challenging to find a story of a school shooting that feels authentic and demonstrates humanity in a unique manner.

Nijkamp manages to do just this by rotating through her numerous narrators; showing nearly all sides of the situation; demonstrating the despair, hope, and loss; and depicting a realistic situation where people notice the clues after it is too late to help the person who needs it the most.

The Plot
In a town called Opportunity, you’d think that nothing could go wrong. In fact, it’s optimistic name actually makes me imagine it as a mundane day-to-day town with little to do. A place where everyone wants to leave. And it is. Just that.

Except that one person wants to stay. And that one person is offended that he’s not enough to get his sister to stay.

Students gather inside the gym on the first day of the new semester for the principal’s annual speech. But the speech isn’t what students will remember. Instead, they’ll be traumatized by their own peer coming in with a gun and no remorse.

Nijkamp writes a poignant and realistic story that no one wants to experience. Each chapter takes on the span of a few minutes as the book itself covers only one hour. Because everything can change in a moment, as these students — and readers — quickly realize.

I highly recommend this book, but please recognize that it could be triggering for many who have gone through traumatic events themselves.