Kirkus Reviews QR Code
FORGET ME NOT by Carolee Dean

FORGET ME NOT

by Carolee Dean

Pub Date: Oct. 2nd, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-3254-3
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

A novel in verse tells the intertwined stories of teen classmates Ally and Elijah as they deal with the pressures of high school and the consequences of deadly decisions.

When a sexual photo of Ally is maliciously spread across her school, it tips off a cascade of horrific events that lead Ally to her school’s rooftop for what she believes to be her only escape. Upon her decision to kill herself, Ally finds herself trapped in her school’s deserted humanities hallway. H Hall, as it is known, is a sort of fantastical holding zone populated by ghoulish classmates that have all died at the school via various, mostly suicidal means. Having made a similar decision—and lived to regret it—Elijah helps Ally escape from H Hall and attempts to guide her toward a second chance at life. However, Ally soon learns that for this chance, she must decide if she can live with the pain of her reality. The novel unflinchingly incorporates serious topics of depressions, rape, alcohol and drug abuse, bullying and suicide as common components of high school.

This blend of fantasy and potent reality succeeds

. (Fiction. 13-18)