An honor winner in the Delacorte Prize for a first YA novel, Zeises tells of a 19-year-old girl’s processing of grief and slow growth away from relationship dependency. When he went away to California, Benji was Bridget’s first and only love. Left behind in Delaware, she’s stunned when Benji is killed in an automobile accident only three weeks after sending her a letter ending their relationship. She’d always known that she was the one who knew that they were a true couple and that Benji didn’t quite see it that way. His family, hers, and their friends are mostly unaware that they had broken up and Bridget sleepwalks through the entire funeral without sharing the secret. The story begins when numbness wears off—about six months later. Close friend Ellie chides Bridget into attending a frat party at nearby University of Delaware. An almost wordless encounter finds Ellie in Jasper’s bed the next morning, and surprisingly in his life despite the inauspicious beginning. Bridget is prickly, difficult, and completely incapable of understanding her own behavior. Her journey toward self-discovery is gradual and believably revealed. Initially, some of the others seem stonily invulnerable to the grief that is eating at Bridget, but in small telling incidents, the pain of others reveals itself as well. Without shifting the focus from Bridget, the author surrounds her with characters that enrich and authenticate her emotional journey. While similar to many angst-filled YA novels that deal with death and relationships, this honors a particular voice and a discovery that much of life must be lived without a significant other by our side. Broodingly honest. (Fiction. YA)
Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2002
ISBN: 0-385-73001-2
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
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