DEAD BOYS CLUB

Two teens face crises during their senior year.

It’s the summer of 2009, and high school senior Zach Williams has anxiety and depression. His mental health struggles, coupled with his extreme loneliness, lead him to consider suicide. He pulls back at the last second, but he’s not sure what to do with the note he wrote for his mom, worried that someone will find it. And then it falls out of his binder, and his classmate Parker Reid picks it up and reads it. Troubled outsider Parker has also tried to kill himself, and he pressures Zach to agree to a suicide pact. But Zach is trying so hard to stay alive, and his anxiety rachets even higher at the thought of Parker’s dying. As the school year progresses, the boys form an uneasy friendship that eventually includes Zach’s neighbor, Parker’s twin sister, and others. Cress’ debut is an earnest, careful examination of loneliness and mental illness. Zach’s narrative is alternately heartbreaking and hope-filled, and readers will root for him to surmount his challenges. Zach and Parker’s growing romantic relationship is thoughtfully depicted, as they grow from strangers to friends to more. Readers will feel for Zach’s mom, as she tries hard to understand her son and help the teens. The leads present white, and there’s racial diversity among the supporting cast.

A poignant look at serious adolescent mental health issues, told with a lot of heart.