Title: Teach Me to Forget
Author: Erica M. Chapman
Genre: YA contemporary
Published: December 2nd, 2016
Source: Finished copy from publisher, Merit Press, in exchange for honest review
My rating: 5 stars
I didn't get to this before it was published, and I'm sorry about that now, because this book was so good. I am going to be telling everyone about it. If you read and appreciated Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, this is a book that to me is just as good. It's about a girl who is going to commit suicide. It's done from a different aspect than Asher's book. This is told as the girl is going through her actual plan.
The main character is Ellery. Her sister died in a car accident where Ellery had been driving, and so Ellery has felt responsible ever since. Her father left her and her mother shortly afterwards. And now, Ellery has a plan to kill herself. She isn't going to use pills, like most women do, because of the research that says that is also usually so there is a chance to be found. No, she's going to use a gun. But when she goes to do it, the gun doesn't work. She didn't buy the gun herself, she had to have someone over 18 buy it for her. But she has the receipt and goes to take it back, accidentally showing up at K-Mart instead of Walmart. The person there just sees someone with a gun, and calls security. Turns out K-Mart doesn't sell guns, and the security guard is a guy from Ellery's school. A guy who seems to want to help her.
Colter is the guy, and now he keeps showing up at school and trying to talk to her and be friends with her. But Ellery is sarcastic and snippy with him, and tells him he can't change her mind. She has a plan. She also finds out that a boy she was friends with when she was younger feels the same way she does, has even got scars on his arms, like she has on her arms from her past attempt. She tries to talk to her old friend, trying to convince him he shouldn't do it, all the while so set to kill herself. But Colter starts to wear down Ellery's defenses. She starts to have feelings for Colter, friendly, maybe more. And she promises to give him until Halloween to change her mind. Even though she promises this to him, in her mind, she isn't planning to change her mind. She's set the new date as Halloween.
This book is so good. The way Ellery feels is described very well. Her being so set on the whole idea was heartbreaking, but you could kind of see her reasoning, or at least why it made sense to her. I have had my own issues with depression, so many parts in this resonated with me. While I totally understood her reasoning and thoughts, I think getting to know Colter and the things he did for her really helped me to see the other side of the issue. While I haven't had those types of thoughts in a while, it was definitely a good thing.
I guess for those of you who need the "trigger" warnings, this is about suicide and a suicidal girl, and a boy - her friend. I honestly think this book is as good as Thirteen Reasons Why and should be recommended right along with it.
