Hate List / Jennifer Brown

I don't usually read young adult fiction, but Brown is both a Missouri author and member of the Missouri Center for the Book board, and Hate List is this year's Gateway Award winner.  The story follows the aftermath of a random school shooting through the eyes of Valerie, the girlfriend of the shooter, as she struggles to find her place back at school.  While the subject matter is horrific, Brown does an admirable job of exploring the nuance of feelings from many different perspectives, and ultimately delivers a healing story without sensationalization.  408 p.