Collateral: A Novel

Ellen Hopkins

Nov 2012 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

From the New York Times bestselling author of Triangles comes an exquisitely told story about a young woman torn between passionate first love and the gripping realities of war.

Meet Ashley, a graduate student at San Diego State University. She was raised in northern California reading poetry and singing backupin her best friend’s band. The last thing she ever expected was to end up a military wife. But one night, she meets a handsome Marine named Cole. He doesn’t match the stereotype of the aggressive military man she’d always presumed to be true; he’s passionate and romantic, and he even writes poetry. Their relationship evolves into a deeply felt, sexually charged love affair that goes on for five years and survives four deployments. Cole desperately wants Ashley to marry him, but when she meets another man, a college professor, with similar professional pursuits and values, she begins to see what life might be like outside the shadow of war.

Written in Ellen Hopkins’s stunning poetic verse style, Collateral captures the hearts of the soldiers on the battlefield and the minds of the friends, family, and lovers they leave behind. While those at home may be far from the relentless, sand-choked skies of the Middle East and the crosshairs of a sniper rifle, they, too, sacrifice their lives and happiness for their country at war. And all must eventually ask themselves if the collateral damage it causes is worth the fight.

***

COLLATERAL

Loving Any Soldier

Is extremely hard. Loving a Marine who’s an aggressive frontline marksman

is almost impossible, especially when he’s deployed . . .

. . . Cole’s battalion has already deployed twice to Iraq and once to Afghanistan. Draw-down be damned, Helmand Province and beyond

looks likely for his fourth go-round. You’d think it would get easier. But ask

me, three scratch-free homecomings make another less likely in the future.

Ratings and reviews

It almost felt as though Hopkins wrote this while looking through my own eyes, as I'm a CSAC (Certified Substance Abuse Counselor), my husband is a Sgt in the U.S M.C.. The author truly has a deep understanding of the many emotions that surround these real life, but often "taboo" accounts that her books are about. She is on point, whether she is writing about addiction or deployment, Hopkins has a way of breathing compassion into ALL of her writing!

I have always been a fan of Ellen Hopkins' style of writing and Collateral did not disappoint. It was a page turner from the beginning and a good read the entire way through. She has a way of pulling you in and making you empathize with the characters as though they are real life people, whether or not it's something you've even ever experienced.

Let me start by saying I am a huge Ellen Hopkins fan and have been since I was in middle school about 8 years ago. I am currently in the military, stationed in Pearl harbor, only about 30 minutes east of Kaneohe Bay which is where Cole was stationed. (No, this is not why I read the book, I didn't realize where it took place until I started reading the book). This is such a great story that rightfully portrays military relationships, identifying some of the hardships and emotional distress that comes along with them. With Ellen's very vivid visual imagery, I felt like I was a friend of Ashley's and I could feel what she was feeling. Also, the book touches amazingly on the hardships that men returning from war face regardless of the situations around them. This is such a well written book and I have absolutely zero complaints about it!

About the author

Ellen Hopkins is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of numerous young adult novels, as well as the adult novels such as Triangles, Collateral, and Love Lies Beneath. She lives with her family in Carson City, Nevada, where she has founded Ventana Sierra, a nonprofit youth housing and resource initiative. Follow her on Twitter at @EllenHopkinsLit.