Teach Me to Forget

Suicide isn't as easy as it may seem. High school junior Ellery Stevens has decided to end her life. She cannot stop blaming herself for the freak driving accident in which her beloved younger sister was killed. The fact that her parents blamed her for the incident and then divorced shortly after does nothing to help Ellery's rock-bottom self-esteem. For the entire span of the novel readers witness her unsuccessful suicide attempts, beginning with a faulty Wal-Mart shotgun, which fails to fire. All of her careful planning falls apart when she tries to return the gun to Kmart, and the store security guard, high school senior Colter, recognizes her issues and takes her under his wing. In spite of her best efforts to ditch him and even as she plans her next attempt, she finds herself...falling in love. Ellery's voice is engaging and authentic, and her edgy black humor comes into play when she and Colter ironically banter quotes from The Notebook back and forth. The white teens' chemistry yields some intense kissing action and eventual (and elided) condom-enhanced consummation. Ellery's death wish is mirrored by others', extending the theme. A childhood friend successfully kills himself, despite her attempts to prevent him, and she finds out that part of Colter's motive for saving her is the fact that his brother also killed himself. Sadness gives way to redemption and an unforced hope in this thoughtful read. (Fiction. 14-18) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-Ellery finds life after the death of her little sister, Tate, unbearable. So she creates the perfect suicide plan, and all the pieces are in place: the gun, the cleaning service, and an empty house. All she has to do is pull the trigger. But after discovering that the gun is faulty, she rushes to Kmart to try to exchange it and is stopped by a security guard, Colter, who happens to go to her school. Thus begin Colter's efforts to save Ellery from herself. Her childhood friend Dean has also survived a suicide attempt, and Ellery starts to fixate on Dean; she recognizes in him a determination that mirrors her own. While Ellery is watching over Dean from afar, Colter falls in love with her as he tries to keep her alive. The backstory of how Ellery's sister died is told in flashbacks throughout the novel. Some of the plot connections may raise questions. No one seems to notice, for example, how desperate Ellery is to die, despite her suicide attempt and her subsequent erratic behavior. In addition, her father, who blames her for Tate's death, isn't fully integrated into the narrative. These missteps aside, Chapman has crafted a hauntingly beautiful story with richly developed characters. VERDICT A moving tale to recommend, especially to readers who loved Jennifer Niven's All the Bright Places.-Nicole Detter-Smith, Homestead High School, IN

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