Contemporary – Page 45 – My Good Reads

‘Detached’ – Christina Kilbourne

I think the first thing that I have to say is that any book that gets teenagers to think about mental health issues is a good thing, particularly one that is so unflinching in the way it explores one of the things that scares adults most – suicide.

Sixteen-year-old Anna is a talented artist but since her grandparents died in a car crash caused by a drunk driver she feels detached from those around her. On the surface she seems to be coping, but inwardly her thoughts increasingly turn to suicide.

I found it hard to believe that someone of Anna’s age would attempt suicide five times and nobody would actually recognise there was anything wrong. That aside, I did find myself keen to keep reading and see whether Anna would get the help she so obviously needed.

As well as watching Anna research how to kill herself, we watch how she fails time after time. Her survival instinct is strong, and it’s fairly apparent that she is living with depression. The experience of her Grandmother didn’t come as much as a surprise. We also see Anna coping with a period in treatment/therapy, and feeling fairly positive about the future at the end of the novel.

Ultimately, I felt that the book suffered from trying to cover too many aspects of the issue. I think this is a good starting point, but the issue is far more complex than we are led to believe here.

‘The Language of Dying’ – Sarah Pinborough

From the opening pages it is clear that we are watching the most intimate moments in someone’s life in these pages.

Our unnamed narrator is at the bedside of her dying father. This novel is basically her observations of the last days of her father’s life, and her recollections of the past when he was a more vibrant figure.

The narrator is the middle of five children, and we learn that she has moved in with her father after both their respective marriages have failed. In these last days we see the four siblings come to the house, and learn a little more of their past. In the dark moments of watching her father the narrator lays bare the failings in their relationships.

The style of writing is quite unemotional. There’s a sense of detachment to the writing as we’re told of the events that signal the end of a life, and the harrowing events that have affected this family over time.

This is a short novella, but it was compelling reading. I was both shocked and confused by the ending, for reasons that will be obvious when you read.
While it would be nice to not have to confront this experience, it was a valuable read.

‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ – Morgan Matson

Being a teenager can be awkward at times, particularly so when you’re best friends with someone who just seems to sail through life with no problems. That, at least, is how Emily feels prior to the summer that this novel is set.

We don’t get answers to this particular mystery until very near the end of the novel, but at the start of the summer Sloane, Emily’s best friend, has disappeared. Her family home is empty and nobody has any idea where she has gone. All Emily is left with is a letter, comprising a list of thirteen things that Sloane asks Emily to complete before finding her.

Rather than asking people what has happened to Sloane, Emily takes it upon herself to keep quiet about everything and try to work her way through the list of challenges. Some are harder than others – but they all push Emily’s boundaries in some way, forcing her to confront her fears and develop her own sense of self.

Along the way, Emily learns quite a lot about herself and her best friend. She also finds new friends, and the somewhat inevitable romance. While this didn’t really have me full of awe, it was a pleasant enough read and I can imagine it striking a chord with more than one or two readers.

‘The Next Together’ – Lauren James

The moment I saw the cover I knew this would be heavy on the romance (which is not a genre I’m overly fond of), but once I’d read the blurb I couldn’t wait to get started!

Katherine and Matthew are born over and over again. Each time they are born, they meet and fall in love. Something momentous takes place around them, and they die. Until the next time.

While Matthew and Katherine seem to have vague recollections of their shared histories, we are treated to seeing them interact in four very different periods in time. In 1745, they are involved in the Carlisle Uprising. In 1845, Matthew is a journalist sent to report on the conditions the soldiers fighting in the Crimea are experiencing. In 2019 – our closest future – they are scientists accused of terrorism and trying to manufacture a biological weapon. In 2039, they are lab partners who stumble across a link between themselves and them in the past (try not to think too much about the logistics) and they end up on the run.

Curiously, there is a very real sense of the characters being slightly different each time and this brought each period to life in a way that was fascinating. For me, the real pull was the little excerpts of what look like coding interspersed throughout the text which heavily suggest that someone/something is actually directly in charge of these characters’ experiences. The idea that they are being manipulated for some other purpose is intriguing, and there are definite hints that we will get some answers – and, no doubt, some new questions – in the sequel, due out in October 2016.

‘Everything I Don’t Remember’ – Jonas Hassen Khemiri

Winner of the 2015 August Prize, this novel by Khemiri is a definite puzzle. Lauded by booksellers/critics, when I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley I was struck by the number of reviewers who commented on the style as being similar to a podcast called Serial. Thanks to Google I was able to glean some information about this podcast – and it sounds like something worth checking out – but I did wonder whether there would be something lost in translation.

Perhaps my initial hesitation coloured my reading, but I found it quite hard to settle into reading this. Told in a very fragmented way, it took me a long time to get a handle on the voices of the respective characters and to work out how they were related to Samuel.

We are told that Samuel has died in a car crash, and we do not know if it was an accident or suicide. An unnamed writer decides to interview Samuel’s friends and family members in order to try and find out more about who Samuel was and what happened to him.

Even after finishing the novel I felt I didn’t know much about Samuel. Frustratingly, we got no definitive answer to the question posed and I never felt that I gained a clear perspective of how the writer linked to the object of the investigation. While I can recognise its literary quality, it didn’t have quite the emotional pull for me that means I want to encourage everyone to read it.

‘Because You’ll Never Meet Me’ – Leah Thomas

In this debut novel, Thomas takes on some pretty challenging ideas. Some elements work better than others, if I’m being truthful, but this is certainly an exciting author.

This is what we’re told:

Ollie and Moritz are best friends, but they can never meet. Ollie is allergic to electricity. Contact with it causes debilitating seizures. Moritz’s weak heart is kept pumping by an electronic pacemaker. If they ever did meet, Ollie would seize. But Moritz would die without his pacemaker. Both hermits from society, the boys develop a fierce bond through letters that become a lifeline during dark times—as Ollie loses his only friend, Liz, to the normalcy of high school and Moritz deals with a bully set on destroying him.

At times this reads like a foray into science-fiction, but I think it will have more appeal to fans of John Green. It is very much character-driven and the choice to create these two characters through their letters to one another is a brave one. It made the pace feel a little slow initially, but it does give us opportunity to learn their history without feeling over-burdened.

As we come to learn more about the boys and their history we cannot fail to find their allure. These are quirky characters, but they have a searing honesty that is refreshing to read.

‘How Many Letters Are In Goodbye?’ – Yvonne Cassidy

I wanted to like this book more than I did.

Rhea is eighteen, and finds herself homeless. Remembering an old ritual that her father instigated, Rhea decides to write a letter to her mother.

Through this epistolary format, Rhea explores her family set-up and her thoughts about her experiences. She examines her feelings about being gay, and how she was injured.

I genuinely felt that Rhea was trying to deal with so many things that I never got to see her as a credible character. This was an interesting idea, but it didn’t work for me in the way that I hoped it would.

‘This Raging Light’ – Estelle Laure

Laure’s debut was due for publication in January 2016, and I was lucky enough to be sent an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Touted as a writer for fans of Rainbow Rowell and John Green, Laure is always going to have a lot to live up to but I do think the signs are good, even though they don’t quite work fully here.

‘This Raging Light’ tells us the story of seventeen-year-old Lucille. Her father is known as the guy that attacked his wife. This would be a tough enough situation to live with, but Lucille’s mother then leaves. Lucille is suddenly left with no adult figure to rely on, and with sole responsibility for her nine-year-old sister, Wren.

I think this would be an impossible situation for most teenagers to cope with, but Lucille is determined to not give in gracefully. She vows to do whatever she can to stop people learning the truth of her situation, and to protect her younger sister.

Most of the novel focuses on Lucille’s attempts to live as much of a normal life as she can. She’s a wonderful character and I liked the fact that this story didn’t veer into over-sentimentality. Unfortunately, life is never straightforward and Lucille also has to cope with getting a crush on her best friend’s brother, who has a girlfriend.

On occasion some of the characters’ reactions were rather unlikely, and I’m not totally convinced that Lucille would have got quite the response from her neighbours that she did. That aside, it was a thought-provoking read that I think hints at good things to come.

‘Simon vs the Homosapiens Agenda’ – Becky Albertalli

When we meet Simon Spier he’s enthralled by the mysterious Blue, the only person in school that knows Simon is gay. Through their email exchanges we see how Simon is coming to terms with who he is. Then one of Simon’s emails is seen by the wrong person and things become more than a little complicated.

While this is a story about coming out and issues surrounding being homosexual, it was also a story about friendships and learning to accept who you are/how you engage with those around you.

At times I did feel the whole experience was a little saccharine – I’m not sure how positive an experience this would be in reality. That aside, this was a witty and enjoyable read.

I spent most of the book, like Simon, second-guessing the identity of Blue. By the time we’re told who Blue is I was hoping for the feel good ending. I wasn’t disappointed.