Jagged Little Pill by Eric Smith, Alanis Morissette, Diablo Cody, and Glen Ballard

Reviewed by Sky E.
Grade 11 

Jagged Little Pill was written by four writers: Eric Smith,  Alanis Morisette, Diablo Cody, and Glen Ballard. Jagged Little Pill was originally an album by Alanis Morissette, then a Broadway musical, and now a book. My expectations for this book were not extremely high, but this book really went above and beyond my expectations.

The story consists of five main characters: Frankie, Jo, Nick, Phoenix, and Bella. Throughout the book the author’s allow you to dive into each of the characters inner thoughts. Each character wants something: Frankie wants justice, Jo wants to be seen, Nick wants to be a good person, Phoenix wants a connection with someone, and Bella wants to be believed. 

The story takes a wild turn when all the main characters, except Jo, end up going to a house party hosted by Andrew Montefiore. While not every character was there, the party turned all their lives in a different direction. Andrew Montefiore happens to take advantage of Bella while she was not completely sober. An image of her lying in Andrew’s bed is spread around the school and she is labeled a slut by some of her closest friends. Each ensuing conflict allows the characters to deeply discover themselves by the end of the book, making the read worth it.

The author’s style in the book really allows you to connect with the characters. Each chapter has a different character speaking throughout the entire book. I really loved how the author was able to describe certain instances happening by the characters. The diction really gives the reader the ability to feel empathy for the characters.

I would recommend this book to other people because I enjoyed the author’s style of writing and it really helped me feel involved in the book and want to continue reading. The lessons that each of the characters went through felt really empowering that they were able to overcome some of the conflicts they were faced with.