An Interview with Liam Vian on “Gripped Part 1: The Truth We Never Told”

Meet Liam Vian

Liam is a senior at Duxbury High School in Duxbury, MA where he has lived since 2017. Before this, he attended Forest Hill Elementary School in San Jose, CA and Birch Copse primary school in Reading, England. Liam has lived half of his life in England and the other half in the United States. His favorite subjects in school are health and science, and he plans to major in sports kinesiology/nutrition or sports management. Liam also works year round at a local restaurant called the Winsor House. He loves to travel and can’t wait to study abroad in different countries during college. 

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1. Who would you recommend Gripped Part 1 to and why? I would definitely recommend it to people of at least high school level. I would do this because I don’t think anyone younger would truly grasp the idea of this novel and what it means to truly lose oneself to drugs. I would say other than the serious tone though, it is also a fun read and relatively short so I think most would enjoy the book. 
2. How do you as a young adult relate to the story? I relate to this story as I know peers around me are 100% going through similar experiences. Even though I am only a senior, I know plenty of people who do drugs, maybe not hard drugs as mentioned in this story such as coke or molly but still significant. I also know the own choices I have made to stay away from them similar to Mark, in regard to my physical condition but also my mental health too. 
3. What did you like best about the story? I liked the constant changing of perspectives in this story. I really enjoyed this part of the story as it gave me more insight into how each of the characters felt as opposed to the narrator telling us how they feeled. In a way, It felt more natural to me. 
4. What message does this book send to readers? The main message this book sends to its readers is obviously to stay away from drugs. Its goal is to demonstrate to the reader the effects of drugs and the downward spiral it can leave people on. There are also minor messages, however, about courses of actions to take with people that may be on that spiral. 
5. About the characters…
   1. Who do you feel bad for and why?

I feel bad for Cathy as she was only ever trying to help those around her but it ended up poorly for her. For example, when Jon broke up with her sister she was only trying to help her get out of a toxic relationship and accidentally broke them up. She decided not to tell her sister as she thought it would break her heart and that ended up causing a rift between the two. 

2. Who frustrates you and why?
   Jon frustrated me because he was just being a bad person for most of the story. He was toxic, quick to anger, and always making selfish choices that hurt the people around him. He tried drinking away his problems with his girlfriend who hates that which I thought was incredibly stupid as it would have obviously only made the situation worse. 
3. Who do you most relate to and why?
   I relate the most to Marc as he’s super against the drugs in the story. He was super focused on his athletics which I feel I can relate to as I have a strong passion for the gym. And in the same way, I don’t like drugs because I can see what they do to my peers. 
4. Who do you like and why?
   I liked Jason. Jason seemed to be a pretty decent guy especially during the flashback area of the novel. I also liked how at the end of the story he admits to his mistakes and owns up to them.
5. Who do you dislike and why?
   I disliked Jon. Once again due to his toxicity in his selfish choices that hurt the people around him. He was just a poor person throughout the novel that hurt those around him. 

6. There are a few different storylines running through Gripped Part 1 because it is setting up the rest of the series. What storyline do you find the most interesting and why?
   I really enjoyed all of those storylines but the one I liked most was definitely Taylor and the police. I just find it really interesting how he’s trapped under this big drug boss who has people watching him constantly. I can’t wait to find out where this will go as it is such a dangerous situation for him and his family. 
7. Gripped Part 1 sets up the rest of the series but leaves a lot of things “hanging.” What are you most curious to uncover by reading Gripped Part 2?
   Definitely the Taylor and police situation. Like I said earlier, I find it really interesting how he’s trapped under this big drug boss and how he’s trying to get out. I also can’t wait to see what Marc will do about it.

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Gripped Part 1: The Truth We Never Told

The Gold Winner for “Best Teen Book” in the 2022 Readers’ Choice Book Awards
Now Being Adapted for TV by Emmy-Award Winning Producer Mark Blutman!

In high school, Taylor Dunkin broke more records than any other athlete to step foot in Montgomery, Massachusetts. As a sophomore in college, he was ranked by ESPN as one of the NFL’s top 100 prospects. However, his aspirations came to a jarring halt when a season-ending injury sent him spiraling into a dark world of pain, depression, and addiction.

One year later, Taylor is a person of interest in a highly confidential investigation headed by the Boston Police Department. He has entangled himself in a crime ring notorious for pushing drugs on local college campuses. Montgomery’s hometown hero has fallen hard, and he’s taking a lot of people down with him.

Luke Davids has become the middleman between Taylor and teens in Montgomery who want to buy drugs. Freshmen Cathy Kagelli, Chris Dunkin, and Jason Davids are just a few of the students at Montgomery Lake High who have fallen victim to the benzos and opiates supplied by Taylor and Luke.  

When Taylor’s youngest brother Marc discovers that Taylor is behind the copious amount of pills circulating around his high school, he sets off to not only reverse the damage Taylor has caused, but also save his lifelong role model from becoming a casualty of America’s deadly opioid epidemic.