An Extremely Difficult Choice

 

John Clark-I read between 225-300 books a year and review them all. That makes choosing just five a real challenge. In fact, I rewrote this post three times and if it were tomorrow, might do so a fourth time. It’s worth noting that I particularly like dystopian, dark fantasy, and girls who play sports genres. However the ones I’ve chosen, while having some dark elements, were selected more because they reflect hardscrabble Maine, teens who feel significant emotional pain, and remind me in ways of teens I’ve worked with as a mental health professional and public librarian.

Three Things / Betty Culley

It's very clear that Betty Culley has experienced some of the emotional landscape in this book, either personally or professionally. She also captures hardscrabble Maine, the part I'm very familiar with, as well as Gerry Boyle. Written in verse form, this takes readers through a bleak physical and emotional landscape, part of rural Maine where hope left when the local mill closed, sadly a reality in more and more towns. What transpires as you follow the events after Jonah accidentally shoots himself in the head, is first a fracturing between neighbors, so well described as Liv and Clay's mom meet on the yellow line dividing the dead end street where they live like it was a demilitarized zone. Then you follow Jonah's care, with the personalities of the nurses caring for him playing their own roles, Liv's feelings about her brother, as well as Clay, the boy who was her brother's best friend and who she cares deeply about, then the events leading up to the negligence trial, pitting Clay's family against Liv's. You get to see Liv's inner monologue as she tries to connect with her brother in his new, nearly unresponsive form, deal with how unimportant school becomes and go through the trial and its aftermath. One scene that really illustrates the plight of those struggling when wages and benefits are inadequate, or nonexistent, comes when Liv deals with her mom's tooth. Read the book to see what happened. This is an excellent look at struggle, grief, love and the real Maine.

 

Title Far from you / Tess Sharpe.

Sophie Winters has been in pain since age fourteen. That pain has been physical, spiritual and emotional. It started when her best friend's brother was driving and they were hit by another driver. Sophie wasn't wearing her seat belt and was terribly injured. Her leg and back will never be the same. Trev and his sister Mina weren't badly hurt and he's felt guilty ever since.

Sophie ended up addicted to pain medication, but the only person who noticed was Mina, but then Mina reads her like nobody else can. They became friends when she moved to town after her dad died. Sophie saw her sitting alone and tear-faced at lunch and befriended her. They've been extra close ever since. When Sophie crashes and burns from drugs and Mina finally dares to confront her, she goes to Oregon and rehabs with her aunt. It's brutal going through withdrawal, but she holds on by reminding herself how long it's been: six months, three days, nine hours. When she returns home, gaining everyone's trust isn't easy. One night she and Mina make a detour on the way to a party and Mina is murdered by a man in a ski mask and Sophie's world destroyed. Not only has she lost her best friend, and when she's able to be honest, the person she really loved, but the killer planted Oxycontin in her pocket after beating her senseless.

Sophie is stuck in a rehab facility even though she never relapsed. Neither of her parents believe her, but she's determined to fight back and find out why Mina was killed and who did it. Her efforts to do so are alternated with flashback chapters that flesh out her relationship with Mina.

With Trev's reluctant help, he's been in love with her for years, after all, she unmasks the killer and in the process solves another murder case, the story Mina was working on that got her killed. Sophie darn near gets killed herself in the process.

This is an amazing first book. It combines mystery, a girl's struggle with addiction and a love story seamlessly as well as doing a very good job of making it next to impossible to figure out who the killer is. Sure there are sexual references and some strong language, but if you're a librarian, do not let them prevent you from adding this book to your collection. This is a sweet, but sad love story blended with a dandy mystery. It will appeal to lesbian and bisexual teens in particular, but should have a much wider audience and serious consideration for a young adult Edgar nomination.

 

The Lies They Tell / Gillian French

It takes a special writer to 'get' the essence of Maine when writing fiction. Nowhere is this apparent than when creating a story that features natives VS PFAs (People From Away). In this dark and gritty story, Gillian French nails both groups perfectly. Having grown up near the coast and later serving as library director in a wealthy Maine community, I know of what I speak. The characters, setting and slow reveal are all done just right, leaving those still standing at the end, scarred, but with enough hope to keep going. The ending is perfect.

 

Downeast: Five Maine Girls and the Unseen Story of Rural America / Gigi Georges (While nonfiction, it reads like a diary of real Maine teens)

I grew up in a small Maine town and Washington County is my favorite part of Maine. In this book, Gigi Georges weaves a beautiful and emotional story of five girls over a four year period. These five young women are honest, insightful and wise beyond their years. I've seen their peers working in stores and restaurants when visiting Downeast. The blend of narrative, statistical information and family dynamics, coupled with insights from relatives, teachers, and others living in the area, all enhance this book. I'm not one for reading nonfiction, but this was a notable exception. It's the sort of book any public or school library should have on their shelves for it not only offers insights, but hope and a bunch of relatable experiences for teens no matter where they live.

All the Bright Places / Jennifer Niven

Theodore Finch and Violet Markey would seem to have little in common. That is until they find themselves on opposite 4 inch ledges six stories up in the bell tower overlooking their high school campus. Although Violet gets credit for saving the 'weird' kid, both of them know it was more likely the other way around. While Finch is known as the crazy guy around school, his mania and wild brilliance mask a severe depression, one so strong that he spends an inordinate amount of time contemplating statistics on different methods of suicide.

Violet, on the other hand, was extremely popular and involved in all sorts of extracurricular activities until the night she and her older sister were returning from a party. Eleanor was killed when the car hit black ice and crashed. Violet hasn't been able to let go of a massive wave of guilt because she blames herself. She's so paralyzed by the aftereffects that she refuses to ride in a car.

When they find themselves as unwilling partners in a class project that involves learning about unique places in their home state of Indiana, it's an uneasy process, but Finch won't let Violet wither any further. By teasing, cajoling and worming his way through her protective shell, he's able to show her just how amazing life one day at a time can be. Unfortunately, as he expands her world and helps bring her back to life, he can't accept her attempts to do the same for him.

What happens as they fall for each other and Finch finds himself unable to free himself from his demons is both sad and beautiful. If you're looking for a happily ever after finish, this book doesn't have one. What it does have is the ability to make you feel an amazing variety of feelings and realize as you close the book that, while life isn't always fair, it's all we got.

It's an excellent book for any school or public library and teens who have struggled with depression, loss or grief may well find a bit of hope and solace if they read it.