Adam Silvera is without question one of the best writers I have ever encountered in my 19 years. His ability to make me laugh, then cry, then laugh again within the span of 3 pages is as amazing as it is annoying at times. He brings a voice to the often voiceless and brings diversity to a literary world which is more often than not set to a white, straight default. Silvera is the writer that so many of this generation need, and his second novel, History Is All You Left Me, is a testament that. And its also this week's review pick.
History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera
What Made Me Read This Book? I honestly cannot remember. Most likely I was scrolling through a Buzzfeed post about up-coming YA books to look out for and the premise of this novel caught my eye. What I do remember is that I had the release date for this book saved in my phone for about 4 months. I was determined to not to forget to read this book and I'm so happy that I didn't.
Griffin is a typical New York teenager balancing school, Harry Potter, and boys. But when his best friend/first love/ex-boyfriend suddenly dies, Griffin's perfect balance is thrown completely out of order. He feels alone, abandoned by the most important person in his life and struggling to find a way to move on. That "way" is manifested in Jackson, the current boyfriend of Griffin's ex-boyfriend at the time of his death. Yeah, things get a little messy, especially when Wade, Griffin's other best friend trying to climb his way back into Griffin's life, is thrown into the mix. Oh, and there's Theo - the dead ex-boyfriend who won't really die because history keeps finding a way to resurrect him. And as if all of that wasn't enough, Griffin's always present OCD popping up at the best of the worst times is added in just for good measure and Griffin's displeasure. Griffin's journey is one that will have readers glued to every page and reliving their own histories, whether they wish to or not.
My Rating: ✯✯✯✯.5 - This book opened with me thinking one thing and ended with me believing something else entirely. I began identifying with one character, and finished convinced I was the female version of another. Anyone, despite race, gender, or sexual orientation, can and will find so part of themselves reflected in this novel and books with that kind of universal reach are the ones that make reading worth while.
Why? It is rare to come across a book which not only mentions, but thoroughly tackles, grief, mental illness, heartbreak, sexuality, and acceptance within its pages. Not only does this novel handle each of those subjects, and more, with grace and perfect execution, but it does so in a way that feels realistic, not forced or molded in any way. Also, speaking of being realistic, this book features characters that look average - not the out of this world, astoundingly beautiful physical descriptions most YA books tend to gravitate to. These characters are relatable to in both the physical and, more specifically to me, the mental. As a person with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, reading a novel where the lead has the same mental illness was... refreshing (for lack of a better term). Though his OCD was not the main focus, it still played a role in the novel and was fully addressed for was it was, a mental illness. Not a term to be thrown around just because (as many people like to do). The layers upon layers of this tale are crafted together in such a way that words lack in describing how wonderful it is. Maybe this one could suffice - historical.
Favorite Quote: "There's nothing wrong with someone's saving my life, I've realized, especially when I can't trust myself to get the job done right. People need people. That's that."
Hint for next week: The universe is heavy