I'LL GO ON

Budding photographer Simon documents the end of his high school experience in this YA debut novel from the Pennyeach Collective.

It’s time for Simon’s high school graduation, but looking back at the last three years of his life isn’t easy considering all the friends he’ll have to say goodbye to. The novel opens with Simon reviewing an imagined photo album from his sophomore to senior years. The very first photo is from his sophomore year French class, when he began learning photography using his grandfather’s old Leica M3; around this time, he also became best friends with classmates Hailey Parker and Benji. At the time, Hailey harbored dreams of becoming a journalist, Benji rebelled against his conservative family, and Simon cautiously contemplated a future in art school. The dynamic among the three friends is tested when Hailey and Benji begin dating. But it isn’t until Hailey becomes pregnant during their senior year that everything changes. She decides she wants an abortion, but the procedure can’t be done in Ohio because her family might find out. So with the help of Hailey’s friend Kaylee, they all set out on a road trip to New Mexico (where abortions can be given without parental consent) that will change the course of their lives forever. Obviously taking into account the sensitive nature of Hailey’s determination to have an abortion, the narration retains a respectful distance from the tougher details of her experience, especially as the story is told from Simon’s perspective. The author is guilty of some heavy-handed foreshadowing as Simon describes his early high school travails. Overall, however, Simon’s speech and actions feel authentically teenage: “I guess I was naive, but I thought for sure they’d end up getting married some day. And this picture captures that moment when I bet Hailey and Benji would’ve said the same.” The novel may remind readers of John Green’s Paper Towns (2013), especially the road-trip scenes. The absence of the actual photos that Simon describes leaves space for readers to imagine the characters in their own ways, though perhaps the addition of a visual component would make the photo album experience come to life.

A well-conceived novel that delves into some potentially important issues for young adults.