The Memory of Light

Starred review from October 12, 2015
Vicky Cruz, 16, “put on strong every morning,” trying to please her demanding father, a emotionally stunted man who married his assistant shortly after the death of his wife, six years earlier. But when Vicky’s father summarily fires her beloved, arthritic nanny, paying for her to return to Mexico, Vicky surrenders to the “soul pain” she has felt for years and swallows a bottle of her stepmother’s sleeping pills. Stork (Marcelo in the Real World) writes sensitively about Vicky’s journey from near death to shaky recovery, discussing his own experience with depression in an afterword. Awakening in a public hospital’s psych ward, Vicky attends group therapy with patients who have a catalogue of disorders, and learns from them to value her strengths. Various studies have estimated that perhaps as many as one in five teens has a diagnosable mental health problem; it’s a subject that needs the discussion Stork’s potent novel can readily provide. Vicky isn’t healed, but she finds a reason to keep living, and that constitutes progress worth celebrating. Ages 12–up. Agent: Faye Bender, the Book Group.

Starred review from November 1, 2015
After a failed suicide attempt, 16-year-old Vicky Cruz wakes up in a hospital's mental ward, where she must find a path to recovery--and maybe rescue some others. Vicky meets Mona, Gabriel, and E.M.--a clan very different from Vicky primarily because of their economic limitations--at Lakeview Hospital. There, with the guidance of their group-therapy leader, Dr. Desai, they daily delve into deep-seated issues that include anger management, bipolar disorder, clinical depression, and schizophrenia. Beyond the hospital walls, Vicky's school friends amount to zero, and her future plans are difficult to conjure. Vicky has a flawed family: Becca, her Harvard-student sister, has grown distant; Miguel, her temperamental first-generation father, married Barbara only six months after Vicky's mother died of cancer; and collectively the two are sending Vicky's longtime nanny, Juanita, back to Mexico. A quick first-person narration guides readers through the complexity of Vicky's thoughts and, more importantly, revelations. From her darkest moments to welcome comedic respites to Emily Dickinson's poetry, Stork remains loyal to his characters, their moments of weakness, and their pragmatic views, and he does not shy away from such topics as domestic violence, social-class struggles, theology, and philosophy. Following Schneider Award-winning Marcelo in the Real World (2009), Stork further marks himself as a major voice in teen literature by delivering one of his richest and most emotionally charged novels yet. (Fiction. 12 & up)

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Starred review from February 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-After attempting to commit suicide in her bedroom, Vicky Cruz wakes up in the psychiatric wing of the hospital. Exhausted and nearly catatonic, Vicky goes through the motions asked of her by the quiet but firm Dr. Desai while intending to stay only the mandatory time before going home to try again. After attending group therapy with the other three young people on the ward-her energetic roommate Mona, intimidating E.M., and angelic Gabriel, however, Vicky accepts Dr. Desai's help in convincing her domineering father to let her stay. As Vicky begins intensive treatment, things start to look up, but the looming question of whether she and her friends can survive in the outside world remains. Stork's latest starts slow, with a cold, dry tone that mirrors Vicky's own emotional depletion. As the new environment and people begin to reach Vicky, however, the prose follows suit, growing smoothly into a warm and powerful tone. Unlike many novels about teens and suicide, this work focuses entirely on recovery. Vicky is dealing with a deep depression born from her mother's death and learns not only to name her illness but to cope with the effects and stand up for her needs. Stork's depiction of depression deftly avoids the traps of preaching or romanticizing and instead is accurate, heartbreaking, and hopeful. VERDICT A beautiful read that adds essential depth to the discussion of teens and mental illness.-Amy Diegelman, Vineyard Haven Public Library, MA

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 1, 2015
Grades 8-12 *Starred Review* When high-school sophomore Vicky Cruz wakes up in the hospital psychiatric ward after a failed suicide attempt, she knows it's only a matter of time before she tries again. She agrees to stay for two weeks, not because she thinks it will change anything, but because she can't bear pretending anymore. Through Vicky's interactions with others in group therapychatty, energetic Mona; bold, angry E.M.; and preternaturally wise Gabrielshe finds acceptance and understanding, while her sessions with kindly Dr. Desai help reframe her life from the perspective of someone with an illness that needs treatment, not someone who isn't trying hard enough. While the final third of the novel is crowded with less-credible action sequences, including a near drowning and a violent confrontation with an abuser, overall Vicky's story has undeniable emotional strength and an encouraging, compassionate message. Stork (Marcelo in the Real World, 2009) writes his characters with authenticity and respect, from their inner lives to their economic and cultural backgrounds (Vicky is Mexican American). As Vicky gradually recovers and begins to imagine her future, other characters work out their damaging assumptions as well. Though occasionally message heavy, this important story of a teenager learning to live with clinical depression is informative and highly rewarding.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)