Memorable and important representation of a poorly understood compulsion.
Heather discovers cutting by accident and encounters danger before finally getting help.
Heather’s parents’ severe fight sends the Maine high school freshman running to her best friend Liv’s house, but she finds Liv at home with Cooper, a popular older boy from school. As Liv becomes more preoccupied with Cooper, Heather takes action over the illegal developments destroying their forests and learns more about cutting from an online personality. She begins to use cutting to dull the pain of her home situation, helplessness, and loneliness. But she also comes second in an essay contest and discovers a theater camp, where she makes new friends: Trey, a Penobscot boy who is interested in Heather, and Josie, a bold and dynamic actress who turns out to be a cutter too. One night, Josie takes things too far. Both girls ultimately get the help they need from professionals. This novel, accessible to reluctant readers, presents short, powerful poems that convey vivid experiences. Dodds arranges the words against the blank space in creative designs that require readers to actively participate in making meaning of Heather’s thoughts, feelings, and senses. The story confronts gruesome truths—both physical and emotional—that help outsiders begin to understand the draw of cutting. It is implied that all the characters other than Trey are white.
Memorable and important representation of a poorly understood compulsion. (author’s note, resources) (Verse novel. 14-18)Pub Date: June 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5383-8515-9
Page Count: 200
Publisher: West 44 Books
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2020
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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