20306804

 

Falling into Place

By: Amy Zhang

Released: September 9th, 2014 by Greenwillow Books

Length: 304 Pages

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction- Mental Illness Suicide Attempt

Rating: Five Stars

Acquired: BEA

 

Liz Emerson planned the perfect suicide–a car accident. But, she failed to understand the physics of it. Instead of dying, she landed in the hospital, in a coma severely injured.  Narrated by a mysterious person, revealed at the end perfectly, you are taken on a journey through the days before the attempt, the days of her recovery, and brief snapshots of her life as a child. It’s part heartbreaking, part tearjerker, and a hundred percent worth reading.

Despite the sad subject matter, this novel was able to be beautiful. The writing was close to lyrical. Everything about the novel was meticulously done. I am shocked this is a debut novel. I believe Zhang has a bright future in writing ahead of her. If she was able to beautifully capture something like suicide that is often done messy, I can’t wait to see what hard topic she will tackle next. This specific topic is often hard to write about. Yet, the way Zhang wrote Liz made me understand her in a way writers don’t often do. In Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, he tackled suicide in a way that the character blamed everyone; and, even inserted a dead joke. Zhang handled everything delicately from the way her friends, family, and crush reacted, to the feelings and self-destruction of Liz; and, then the act. It wasn’t done brutally. It wasn’t done in a way you would hate the character. It wasn’t graphic, either.

Then there is the narration itself. While I loved the character develop and the way Zhang tackled this sensitive issue, what really captured me was the creative narration. When you discover who the narrator is, it will blow your mind, it’s that creative. I loved the twist. I didn’t expect it at all. It made sense, too.  Made me love the book that much more, too.

I can’t rave enough about this book. I truly loved it.  It’s worth reading.