History Is All You Left Me

Starred review from October 31, 2016
From Griffin Jennings’s perspective, he loses his first love Theo three times: first when Theo heads to college in California while Griffin finishes senior year at their Manhattan high school; then when Theo finds new love with a fellow college student; and, finally, when Theo drowns in the Pacific. Griffin processes Theo’s death by recounting their relationship and the aftermath of the drowning in alternating chapters titled “History” and “Today,” telling most of the story in direct address to his lost love. Though Griffin’s vision is clouded by grief, passion, and guilt, readers will have no trouble understanding how unmoored Griffin has become: Silvera (More Happy Than Not) excels at capturing the confusion and pain he feels. The tragedy of Theo’s death is also leavened by the healthy families Griffin has to lean on: the boys come out to their parents, together, at a birthday party for Theo’s younger sister, and their declaration of love is met with celebration. Griffin has much to puzzle out as he tries to move forward, but he does so with the reassurance that real love exists. Ages 14–up. Agent: Brooks Sherman, Bent Agency.

Narrator Tom Picasso's voice sounds consistently mournful as he reads the sorrowful first-person story of Griffin, whose best friend and first lover, Theo, has died. Picasso keeps the story's alternating time periods distinct as Griffin's memories shift. Picasso's melancholy tones capture the depth of Griffin's grief--so devastating that his mental health is at risk. Bright spots come in the story's sensitive portrayal of the sweet passion and awkwardness of first love. Through the experiences of three new relationships, Griffin learns to let go of grief, his feeling of responsibility for Theo's death, and his na�ve point of view. He grows to see Theo's flaws and to differentiate the confusing feelings of an affair from the strength to be found in a healthy relationship. While Picasso's narration lacks tonal variety, Griffin's growth is clear. S.W. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine