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Kill Switch
by
Chris Lynch
Some things are best left forgotten. A gripping account of espionage and loyalty from National Book Award Finalist Chris Lynch.All Daniel wants to do is spend one last summer with his grandfather before he moves away for college and his grandfather’s dementia pulls them apart. But when his dear old Da starts to let things slip about the job he used to hold—people he’s kill...more
Hardcover, 176 pages
Published
April 17th 2012
by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
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Ultimately fascinating, frustrating, thought-provoking. What if we all had a trigger -- a reason we might resort to murder? That's the kill switch...that moment, that motivator, that trigger. Dan is devoted to his grandfather, Da, and grieves as he watches his granddad drift deeper and deeper into dementia. He's losing his hero inch by inch.
But as the condition often does, it seems to highlight long-term memories, hidden memories. Dan begins to realize Da's stories of his long-time job with the...more
But as the condition often does, it seems to highlight long-term memories, hidden memories. Dan begins to realize Da's stories of his long-time job with the...more
Daniel loves his grandfather, Da, and is looking forward to spending one more summer with him before heading off to college. As Da’s dementia is worsening, Daniel knows that their time together is limited before his Da loses all control of his mind and memories.
When Da starts talking about violent exploits abroad in his younger days and a former colleague of Da’s warns Daniel to help Da by having him avoid talking about his work, Daniel doesn’t know if this is true or just dementia. Daniel’s fam...more
When Da starts talking about violent exploits abroad in his younger days and a former colleague of Da’s warns Daniel to help Da by having him avoid talking about his work, Daniel doesn’t know if this is true or just dementia. Daniel’s fam...more
This had great potential but was a little hard to follow with a rambling narrative.
The plot: 18 yr. old Daniel has always had a close relationship with his grandfather (whom he calls Da). But lately Da's dementia is getting worse, and it seems to have drawn some unsavory characters from his past into the present. Is Da just making up stories or imagining things when he begins to tell Daniel of top secret operations he completed during his career...which perhaps was a career working in covert ope...more
The plot: 18 yr. old Daniel has always had a close relationship with his grandfather (whom he calls Da). But lately Da's dementia is getting worse, and it seems to have drawn some unsavory characters from his past into the present. Is Da just making up stories or imagining things when he begins to tell Daniel of top secret operations he completed during his career...which perhaps was a career working in covert ope...more
Leaving home for college is always a milestone in a young person’s life, but for Daniel, the summer after his senior year is all the more unforgettable when he embarks on a danger-filled mission to help his beloved grandfather, Da. Memory loss, confusion, strange tales from the past, acts of violence, and a tendency towards ruthless domineering characterize Da, who has a special bond with Daniel not shared by the rest of the family. To his own son, Da was neglectful and cold, to his granddaughte...more
I will never forget the name Chris Lynch. INEXCUSABLE, published in 2005, was a National Book Award Finalist and one of YALSA's Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults. And I have yet to have anyone tell me something nice about INEXCUSABLE in person. So I've never particularly wanted to read that book, but I've been curious about Chris Lynch.
I couldn't resist the blurb for KILL SWITCH. You mention assassins and I am there. Of course, it also mentioned dementia. At this point I have to accept that bo...more
I couldn't resist the blurb for KILL SWITCH. You mention assassins and I am there. Of course, it also mentioned dementia. At this point I have to accept that bo...more
Interesting premise. Poor execution. In the end, "Kill Switch" left me wishing I had killed the switch on this one, instead of sticking with it. Generally, I appreciate Chris Lynch's writing.
Da/Old Boy - Daniel Cameron/Young Man/Danny/Dan/D.C./District of Columbia
Grandfather - Grandson
suffering from memory loss? - sane?
a man with a past? - a seventeen year old boy wanting to create a future
vulnerable? - protector?
docile? - violent?
At first, the premise of "Kill Switch" is intriguing. It is the s...more
Da/Old Boy - Daniel Cameron/Young Man/Danny/Dan/D.C./District of Columbia
Grandfather - Grandson
suffering from memory loss? - sane?
a man with a past? - a seventeen year old boy wanting to create a future
vulnerable? - protector?
docile? - violent?
At first, the premise of "Kill Switch" is intriguing. It is the s...more
Kill Switch is Chris Lynch’s latest young adult book. It is a character study about two males – one young and one old- and delves into what makes a person flip their switch into violent mode. Daniel, referred to as Young Man is the narrator of Kill Switch. He spends a lot of time with his aging grandfather, Da, referred to as Old Boy.
Read the rest of my review here
Read the rest of my review here
Kill Switch has the most fascinating premise--what would happen if a former spy/spook developed Alzheimers and suddenly began talking about classified black ops? Daniel's grandfather has always told great stories, but the stories are beginning to have a frightening edge. When Da's co-workers begin to show up and make threatening insinuations about putting Da in a "home," Daniel and his Da end up on the run. During their flight, Da becomes increasingly violent and ruthless, willing to do anything...more
Daniel is the one person in his family who puts up with his Da's crazy habits. The old man has dementia and is less and less like his old self every day. Daniel is there to hold him together, to bring him back to reality. But more and more his Da talks about his old job, working for a government agriculture agency...only his stories have less to do with farming than with torture, kidnapping and government secrets. When Da's old work friends start taking an interest in the crazy things Da says, D...more
Jul 16, 2012
J
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
high-school-fiction,
realistic-fiction
Daniel's beloved grandfather, Da, is in the advanced stages of dementia, so Daniel wants to spend his summer before heading off to college doing all their favorite things together. He feels closer to Da than anyone in his family and is rather possessive of him. Sometimes Da talks a little crazy -- what's that about watching horse races in Saudi Arabia? Didn't he just have a desk job at the Department of Agriculture? What does he mean he spent a lot of time in Angola? When Da's former workmates s...more
Kill Switch pulls you in and throws surprises all along the way. At the opening it appears that Daniel or Young Man as his grandfather calls him, is spending his last summer caring for his Da, an eccentric old man with Alzheimer's. Daniel was always close to Da and he wonders why his dad never was. Then it seems that stuff he remembers may not be make believe, but the memories of a life and career not for the Department of Agriculture, but a life of violence. When 2 guys he worked with keep show...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Kill switch is a fictional book about Daniels grandfather who is dealing with dementia. They are trying to figure out if his grandfather was involved in a world of assassinations and coups or if he is just delusional of his unwell mind.
This book is directed towards Daniel and his grandfather. Daniel has dedicated his whole summer to his grandfather since Daniel is going off to college. In the time Daniel and his grandfather have together Daniel is going to make sure he has an amazing time.
In thi...more
This book is directed towards Daniel and his grandfather. Daniel has dedicated his whole summer to his grandfather since Daniel is going off to college. In the time Daniel and his grandfather have together Daniel is going to make sure he has an amazing time.
In thi...more
Very intriguing premise: what might happen to a retired spy who gets dementia and starts talking about his top secret past to anyone within earshot? In this story, the spy is Daniel's grandfather, "Da," and he and Daniel have a very close relationship. But no one in the family ever knew what Da did for a living; they all think he was a boring bureaucrat. So when he starts telling stories about people he's murdered, at first Dan thinks Da's just gone round the bend and is making stuff up. But the...more
I love how a battle with dementia/alzheimer's is wrapped up in a thriller. There is the integral struggle that exists for any family coping with a declining family member. But at the same time the frightening question of what happens when a trained killer begins to lose himself.
The main character, Daniel is equal parts innocence and brutality. And the whole story begs the question of nurture versus nature. Is Daniel a product of the Old Man's influence, or was it biologically his nature.
The dyna...more
The main character, Daniel is equal parts innocence and brutality. And the whole story begs the question of nurture versus nature. Is Daniel a product of the Old Man's influence, or was it biologically his nature.
The dyna...more
Oct 28, 2011
Jillian Kuhns
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2011,
a-to-z-challenge
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Leaving home for college is always a milestone in a young person’s life, but for Daniel, the summer after his senior year is all the more unforgettable when he embarks on a danger-filled mission to help his beloved grandfather, Da. Memory loss, confusion, strange tales from the past, acts of violence, and a tendency towards ruthless domineering characterize Da, who has a special bond with Daniel not shared by the rest of the family. To his own son, Da was neglectful and cold, to his granddaughte...more
I do not have much to say on this book. I only got like 15-25 pages into this book. I really disliked it for one reason. The person view kept changing. It was in first person, then third person, then second person. I was just so confused as to what was going on.
I really just did not like the book. The summary made the book to be really interesting, but from the first sentence, I just could not stand it.
I am someone who really likes the entire book to just stay in one point of view. It is a creat...more
I really just did not like the book. The summary made the book to be really interesting, but from the first sentence, I just could not stand it.
I am someone who really likes the entire book to just stay in one point of view. It is a creat...more
This was a pretty good, quick read, especially for teen boys. There is plenty of adventure and some suspense, but I was somewhat put off by the frequent references to recreational drug use, despite the fact that the main character was against it. I was also frustrated while reading the book, thinking how foolish the main character was in many of his actions. I had a hard time distinguishing at times what was real vs. what was the grandfather's fantasy or memory. But I grew to love the characters...more
Creepy in a really atmospheric way. There seem to be a lot of interesting things going on with the relationship between Daniel and his grandfather, between the father and the grandfather, and between Daniel and his own demons. But I felt like the book just didn't give me quite enough to go on. I wanted there to be more depth to the characters, and more plot to see them interact within. This felt like a short story rather than a novel to me. It pondered one interesting idea: what it takes to push...more
Aug 01, 2012
Jeanette Johnson
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
young-adult
This is a story about a young man who just graduated high school and has the summer off before going into college. His grandfather(Da)has Alzheimer's and a secret past which he is starting to reveal because of his memory loss. People are out to silence him because of his secret past and puts them both on the run. Interesting ending and a little twisted. Great boy book and easy connection to the characters.
Oh, man, this book is good. Tightly told and wryly funny book by Chris Lynch. Not a spare word. The blurbs and descriptions claim it's a thriller about espionage. I don't think it's a thriller--it's about the humanity of a grandson for his grandfather.
I like Chris Lynch books. He gets right to the heart and guts of the situation, without wasting any words. Along with Crutcher and Cormier, he's great for guys who want tense realistic fiction. Add this one to the list.
I liked the idea- former CIA opperative with dementia and his grandson who can't believe that his grandfather could have been that person... this book rambled on and on, two much blah, blah, blah...
I was extremely disappointed by this book. The characters were amoral and unlikable. I kept reading it because it had such an incredibly awesome premise, but it never came through.
All in all another good, suspenseful read from Chris Lynch. It's tight and well plotted...I just wish the ending had been clearer.
this book was a very quick read! it was good, but not great! I expected more stories, more about his grandfathers life... overall I was pretty satisfied though.
May 20, 2012
Jennifer
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
ya-realistic-fiction,
elderly
This book had a great premise, but really fell short on delivery. Plot was choppy and filled with holes. Hated the ending.
Interesting quick read about a teen whose grand-father is a former spy with Alzheimer's.
It was pretty good, but Daniels character was hard to understand sometimes. It was so easy for him to turn to violence.
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Chris Lynch is the Printz Honor Award-winning author of several highly acclaimed young adult novels, including KILL SWITCH, ANGRY YOUNG MAN, and INEXCUSABLE, which was a National Book Award finalist and the recipient of six starred reviews. He is also the author of FREEWILL, GOLD DUST, ICEMAN, GYPSY DAVY, and SHADOWBOXER, all ALA Best Books for Young Adults; EXTREME ELVIN WHITECHURCH, and ALL THE...more
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