October Breezes, by Maria Rachel Hooley takes you on an emotional roller coaster ride with insane twists and turns. It portrays how a single event can have a domino effect and put someone’s life on a complete spiral. This story is disturbing and it offers a sick realistic perspective on life. The main conflicts include a struggle with the protagonist, Skye Williams, and her trust towards men, and an internal conflict between Skye and herself, knowing she is smart enough to avoid problems, but will not listen to herself, and it causes Skye everything. Hooley used foreshadowing throughout the story, and some allusion to make this novel’s meaning help the reader enter Skye’s mind, causing you to tense up when you know what will happen next. This novel is unforgettable because it helps you enter the sick mind of male teenagers and the fear some female teenagers encounter throughout high school.
Clues that help the reader understand what will happen next was a main literary technique Hooley used to help us feel the frustration and guilt other characters felt, also called foreshadowing. Skye’s best friend is not only a person she has known since she was an infant, but it is ironically a boy named Devin. Skye has never trusted anyone, mainly men, ever since her father walked out on her mother and herself when she was just a child, but Devin is different. He understands Skye and becomes the eyes for Skye because she is blind when troubles occur. A popular football player named Kellin has recently been interested in Skye, and finally asked her out. Devin knows this guy is trouble, and continues to tell Skye throughout the story to stay away from him. As you continue to read Devin’s warnings to Skye, you can feel Devin’s urgency, knowing something bad WILL happen if Skye goes out with Kellin. “You’re not that blind. He’s going to hurt you.” (Hooley 22) Was a specific quote Devin said himself to Skye once he discovered Skye was going to go to a homecoming party with Kellin. Although after Devin has warned Skye and nothing bad happens, you can still feel that something will happen eventually, and Devin will be correct. Especially when he says, “I’m not going to watch you tear yourself apart then have to pick up the pieces.” (Hooley 57) Sadly, Skye went to the party and told Kellin to get her a non-alcoholic drink that his best friend, Tyler found. Skye tasted it and she knew something was wrong with it. “Tyler, the source of knowledge, I thought. I could choose not to drink it, but Kellin would realize I thought Tyler was a liar. I knew how well that would go over. Instead of having that argument, I took another sip and grimaced.” (Hooley 90) Immediately, the reader puts together the warnings from Devin, and the spiked punch that Skye is drinking, and they can come to a conclusion that SOMETHING is about to happen. And as you continue to see how blind Skye is to all of this, you just tense up and want to slap her in the face and scream. Skye was raped that night by a certain someone, and you can tell, none of this would have happened if she just listened to Devin. Hooley’s use of foreshadowing adds a dramatic effect to the entire story to the point where all the pieces fit together into your mind, and you can predict what will happen next.
Skye’s trusting issues towards men get in the way of her mother’s new relationship with her fiancé, Warren. Skye watched her father walk out on their family, and she has continued to watch men her mother dates walk out on them again, and once Skye hears her mother is going to get married, she can’t help but laugh. What makes this one guy different? In the beginning of the story, Skye’s attitude for the entire event ruins the relationship with her mother, Devin, Warren, and herself. She refuses to believe that Warren is any different.
