Having survived their suicide attempts, all three must confront their own demons if they are to emerge mentally stable. Desperate to end the emotional pain, all three attempt suicide: Conner grabs a gun, Vanessa slashes her wrist, and Tony downs a bottle of pills. When Tony meets Vanessa, he begins questioning his gay identity. Tony finds a friend in an older man, Phillip, who dies shortly after they meet. Tony is angry with his father for leaving him to grow up in poverty with his mother, a prostitute who exposes him to men who sexually abuse him. Dumped by a boyfriend who can no longer deal with her mood swings, and haunted by feelings of guilt for not calling 911 when her mother overdosed on Xanax, Vanessa finds relief in cutting. Her father, a soldier, is both physically and emotionally absent, leaving Vanessa’s grandmother to raise her. Vanessa is a copper-haired beauty but, like her mother, is manic depressive. Conner is unable to cope with her criticism and his feelings of inadequacy. She is cold, concerned with image and perfection, and forever critical.

Despite having everything most teens would die for, Conner is at constant odds with his mother. Conner has the seemingly perfect life: he is handsome and rich, and he is a star athlete and excels in academics. Reading Group GuideĪ Reading Group Guide to Impulse by Ellen HopkinsĬonner, Vanessa, and Tony have all three landed in Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital. Now they have a second chance, and just maybe, with each other's help, they can find their way to a better life-but only if they're strong and can fight the demons that brought them here in the first place. They grabbed the blade, the bottle, the gun-and tried to end it all. In one instant each of these young people decided enough was enough. But dig a little deeper and find a boy who is in constant battle with his parents, his life, himself. Tony, after suffering a painful childhood, can only find peace through pills.Īnd Conner, outwardly, has the perfect life. Vanessa is beautiful and smart, but her secrets keep her answering the call of the blade. Three lives, three different paths to the same destination: Aspen Springs, a psychiatric hospital for those who have attempted the ultimate act-suicide. But if you happen to, you know things will never be the same. From the bestselling author of Crank, the story of three kids whose lives collide at a mental hospital after each attempts suicide.

Impulse by ellen hopkins series