Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Stevenson, Robin. The World Without Us.

Stevenson, Robin.  The World Without Us.  Orca  2015  226p  $12.95      ISBN 978-1-4598-0680-1  hs  Conflict  VG 

Robin Stevenson addresses troubling themes in The World Without Us.  What do you do when a person you care about leads you into a really dark place?  How far must you go to save your friend from his destructive tendencies?  When is it okay to save yourself instead? 

Told through a series of flashbacks, Mel thinks she has found a soul
mate in Jeremy, but Jeremy is tormented by his own demons.  The two make a suicide pact and meet on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge to jump together.  At the last moment, Mel backs out, but Jeremy doesn’t. Even though both survive, Mel works to confront the difficult issues of suicide, survivor’s guilt, and finding reasons to live.

Because the subject of teen suicide raises red flags in many arenas, some material about support hotlines or advice for teens who are concerned about a “friend” who may be considering suicide would
have been welcome additions to this volume.
     
Summary: How far do you go to save someone else before you pull away to save yourself?         


Suicide-Fiction                                                   --Hilary Welliver

No comments: