Adam Strand is bored.
So bored. So bored that he wants
to die. So he does. 39 times. Each time
he wakes up “good” as new. Each time the
people around him feel more and more devastated and he feels more and more
drawn to die. Only when another person
needs him does he start to question his place in the world and what his absence
would mean.
Fair warning: this is a frank and unapologetic look at
the urge to die. This is one of the
least sentimental looks at suicide and suicidal thought I’v ever read, which
makes it seem all too real. Adam pulls no punches and makes no apologies for
wanting to die. Thusly, he isn’t always
the most likable or relatable protagonist.
However, he is clever and intelligent and his feeling of utter alienation
and emptiness has been felt by a full 100% of the human population at least
once during their lifetimes, so perhaps he’s so unsettling because in a dark
and scary way he IS relatable. Galloway’s writing is excellent for the subject
matter. He is excellent at drawing the
reader in then pushing the reader away.
This seesaw between interest and anger at Adam’s clearly selfish and
devastating actions make for tough but fascinating reading. Since we are stuck with Adam as our Point of
View we have to deal with his apathy and lack of understanding. This makes the book a character study of
sadness and isolation that is hard to beat in YA literature. I was very happy that Galloway introduced
elements of self-awareness and growth slowly and organically. You can’t have a kid kill himself 39 times
and then meet a great gal or a true friend and then turn everything
around. At the same time, it would be
irresponsible if the book didn’t address the harm in Adam’s actions and just
reveled in bleakness and edginess. Fortunately, Galloway excels at avoiding
either extreme. I think anyone that wants to read a incredibly well written
book should pick this up, especially if they know someone that has or has had
problems with wanting to die. However, I
don’t think anyone entertaining the thought of suicide should read this book
until they’ve sought help first, because books
like this can be triggering for people facing such thoughts.
As Galloway does at the end of this book I urge anyone
considering harming themselves, or anyone that worries someone they know may
harm themselves, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-784-2433
or visit www.suicidehotlines.com.
You can check our catalog for The 39 Deaths of Adam Strand here.
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