REMIND ME TO HATE YOU LATER

The fallout and sustained ripple effects of a young woman’s death by suicide are explored in this realistic novel.

Jules has long struggled with her social media–obsessed mother Britt’s posts about parenting and family life. They often share a great deal more about Jules’ life than is comfortable for her and also push an image and weight consciousness that damage her well-being. Her best friend, Natalie, and boyfriend, Carter, try to help her negotiate the difficult position she is in with her mom and to support her as she also experiences depression and suicidal ideation and copes by cutting herself. Shifting from the first section, in which Jules’ first-person voice is centered, to the second, in which Nat is the narrator, this poignant, honest story is complexly layered, pulling in Jules’ loved ones’ various perspectives in unfussy, descriptive language. The backstory of Nat’s family, who still grieve the death of her mother years earlier, evocatively illustrates the different ways grief can manifest and how it can defy expectations of being a linear process. The auspicious ending is welcome, though Nat’s growing understanding of Britt may strike readers as coming about a bit too quickly. Main characters are cued White.

A worthwhile, authentic meditation on loss, difficult family dynamics, and emotional growth.