Conviction - Kelly Loy Gilbert

Conviction by Kelly Loy Gilbert
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Blurb (on back of book): Ten years ago, God gave Braden a sign, a promise that his family wouldn't fall apart the way he feared.
But Braden got it wrong: his older brother, Trey, has been estranged from the family for almost as long, and his father, the only parent Braden has ever known, has been accused of murder. The arrest of Braden's father, a well-known Christian radio host has sparked national media attention. His fate lies in his son's hands; Braden is the key witness in his father's upcoming trial. Braden has always measured himself through baseball. He is the star pitcher in his small town of Ornette, and his ninety-four mile per hour pitch already has minor league scouts buzzing in his junior year. Now the rules of the sport that has always been Braden's saving grace are blurred in ways he never realized, and the prospect of playing against Alex Reyes, the nephew of the police officer his father is accused of killing, is haunting his every pitch. Braden faces an impossible choice, one that will define him for the rest of his life, in this brutally honest debut novel about family, faith, and the ultimate test of conviction.

MY OPINION: ****
Bonus Summer Reading Challenge #14: A book by an author that you liked

It took me a while to finish this book, but in the end, it was well worth-it. I found this book to be so much more provocative and emotional than I expected it to be and for that, I rated it highly. Although this wasn't my favorite of Gilbert's two books so far, I liked the idea behind this one and the differences that it possessed compared to her more recent book.

This book had a very complicated and convoluted plot that was hard to understand where it was going at times.

The main character, Braden, lives for baseball. He's a great pitcher, and has high chances of being scouted. His older brother, Trey, left them when he was young after a fight with their dad over something that is unexplained until the end. On top of that, his dad was just arrested for the murder of a well-known police officer.

I liked the idea behind this story because it was very unique and had a lot of different elements playing a role. We had the question of whether or not his father really killed the police officer purposely, why Trey left, and how Braden is supposed to live his life without his father. Born to a teenage mother after an accidental night, his mother sends him to live with his father and he hasn't seen her since.

Religion plays a large role in this book as well. Braden relies on God to help him out of tough situations and he has a strong admiration for Him. After a fateful day at a baseball game, Braden strongly believes in the role God plays in his life and looks up to Him for the rest of the book. I am not a religious person but I respected the way that God helped Braden throughout his tough times.

I loved the strong metaphors that baseball played throughout the book as Braden searched for his identity and struggled to make decisions about his father's trial. Trey comes home to take care of him and seems to resent him for it and secrets are unearthed that truly shocked me (and made me really sad for Trey).

I would recommend this book to readers looking for a strong, emotional, and deep novel.

Main Character: Braden
Sidekick(s): Trey, Maddie, Kevin, etc
Villain(s): Trial, murder, confusion, homophobia, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book is all very real to life.