Save Me, Kurt Cobain

December 15, 2015
Kurt Cobain may be the answer to the central mystery of 15-year-old Nico's life. When Nico was 4, her mother walked out the door and never returned. Now, the mental energy she spends ruminating on her mother's disappearance is matched only by her obsession with 1990s grunge music and the details of the life and death-by-suicide of the era's supreme icon. After finding a hidden box of her mother's CDs, Nico begins to wonder if there's more to her disappearance than she's imagined. Could Cobain be her real father? Could he still be alive? When, on a ferry ride from Seattle to Victoria, British Columbia, she spots a man with sparkling blue eyes, dirty blond hair, and a frail frame, she acts on impulse and jumps into his truck, ready to chase down the mystery of what really happened to both Cobain and her mother. The premise of Nico's slightly unhinged quest is compelling: what if Kurt Cobain was still alive, hiding out in the woods making art? Her angst and attitude feel authentic, and she possesses an impressive depth of '90s grunge knowledge. Readers will worry for Nico, even as they wonder if she could be onto something big. Unfortunately, in the end, the answers come too easily and too quickly to do justice to Nico's bizarre journey. A meandering exploration of abandonment and grief that switches tones too abruptly in its conclusion. (Fiction. 14-18)

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January 1, 2016

Gr 8 Up-The year is 2007, and 15-year-old Nico Cavan has led a dreary existence since the mysterious disappearance of her mother, Annalee, 11 years before. Nico is often left alone at home while her father works long hours for little pay; school is no better, with her classmates treating her like a pariah. The only things that give Nico comfort are hanging out with her best friend, Obe, and listening to her music: 1990s alternative rock and grunge. When Nico stumbles upon a hidden box of her mother's old CDs, she discovers she and Annalee shared an interest in the same bands and a spark is ignited within her. Determined to learn what happened to her mother once and for all, Nico sets out to visit her aunt in Seattle, which gives her the perfect opportunity to search for the answers she so desperately seeks. References to Nirvana and Kurt Cobain periodically feel forced, and although nonlinear storytelling is not a new device, Manzer stumbles in her use of it throughout the first few chapters. This sometimes causes more confusion than clarification but is offset somewhat by Manzer's pleasantly understated writing, which itself is underscored by occasional moments of raw emotion that will resonate strongly with teens. Nico's character is reckless but on the whole believable, both in her obsessions and insecurities, and while the resolution occurs a little too quickly, it is also something of a happy relief. VERDICT An additional purchase; good for libraries that have a need for angsty, character-driven stories.-Alea Perez, Westmont Public Library, IL

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