Honestly portrays the dark parts of life—and shows that there is hope.
Three suicidal teens find reasons to live when they develop friendships while preparing for their ends.
Mehreen Miah, Cara Saunders, and Olivia Castleton have one thing in common: They want to end their lives. The three girls meet via the website MementoMori.com, “a matchmaking service for suicide partners.” As a practicing Muslim, Bengali British Mehreen feels the site offers the loophole she needs—“someone else to take away the guilt, take the blame”—as she tries to escape the negative voice in her head she calls the Chaos. Lesbian Cara was left paraplegic by a tragic car accident and is struggling to adjust; she seeks assistance to end her life. Meanwhile, Olivia is counting on the site to help her escape sexual abuse by her mother’s boyfriend. Cara and Olivia read white. With each meeting after they’re matched, the girls feel more seen and understood. But when the tasks set forth by MementoMori get more sinister, the girls decide that suicide may not be the answer. Even so, their demons are not so easily shaken off. Rahman thoughtfully fleshes out each character. The jagged typeface representing Mehreen’s intrusive thoughts and the striking layout of the free verse in Olivia’s chapters amplify their perspectives and enhance Rahman’s skillful writing. Though friendship becomes a reason to live, it is not a magic cure; the characters’ struggles despite their new relationships feel poignantly realistic.
Honestly portrays the dark parts of life—and shows that there is hope. (author’s note, content warning, resources) (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2023
ISBN: 9781728467108
Page Count: 440
Publisher: Carolrhoda Lab
Review Posted Online: July 31, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf