Novel Analysis of "Crooked"
Novel Analysis of "Crooked"
Amos and Clara were just two normal kids in the 9th grade in a suburb of New York yet they had more in common then they thought. Amos had just lost his father, while Clara had her mother move to France for a teaching career leaving Clara and her father to fend for themselves until she found out what she wanted to do with her life. In the intervening time there were these two bully brothers who found their way into trouble all the time. Smashing mailboxes, vandalizing property. The next thing they know Amos walks into one of their scams and threaten to hurt him if he tells. The next day at school Clara finds out that one of the boys, the younger one Eddie, has a secret crush on Clara and stalks her at her locker leaving notes, and approaches her in the hall. Meanwhile, Clara’s old best friend turned against her just to gain popularity and dumps Clara.
During this time being, Clara and Amos start to fall in love. Hopeless teenagers turn to each other for comfort and become more than just friends. Holding hands, exchanging letters, makes it obvious they like each other. Knowing that Clara is a laughing stock of his friends, he still manages to become closer to her hoping to engage a relationship with her. Being with her, helps him forget all his problems at home with his father gone and the bullies after him. And Clara’s crooked nose that makes her feel self-conscious about herself. Being the nerd she is, she doesn’t wish to be different, but to be accepted for who she is. On the other side, Amos is a well-known kid in school, not considered weird like Clara but has a thing for her before they even get into this mess.
In the end they do conclude together, and become closer then expected and resolve most of their problems that could be resolved. Amos and Clara are two complex, interesting young adults taking on whatever life has to offer and fighting back. And they still manage to fall for each other. So the popular boy falls for the nerd girl, somewhat a typical love story, not too surprising ending, although didn’t expect the bully incident to be such a big part of the ending and conclusion of the end of the book.