History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera (Website, Twitter, Goodreads)Published by Soho Press on February 9th 2017
Genres: Dating & Sex, Death & Dying, General, LGBT, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 304
Format: ARC
When Griffin’s first love and ex-boyfriend, Theo, dies in a drowning accident, his universe implodes. Even though Theo had moved to California for college and started seeing Jackson, Griffin never doubted Theo would come back to him when the time was right. But now, the future he’s been imagining for himself has gone far off course.
To make things worse, the only person who truly understands his heartache is Jackson. But no matter how much they open up to each other, Griffin’s downward spiral continues. He’s losing himself in his obsessive compulsions and destructive choices, and the secrets he’s been keeping are tearing him apart.
If Griffin is ever to rebuild his future, he must first confront his history, every last heartbreaking piece in the puzzle of his life.
Oh Adam Silvera how come you like to break my heart so much?
Silvera is such an amazing storyteller and it shines through in this story. Yes, as mentioned above, this story is heartbreaking, but it’s also so beautifully hopeful by the time you get to that last page. His portrayal of grieving for a loved one makes this incredibly emotional and you can’t help but feel for Griffin and the things he’s trying to sort out in his head.
The story itself is told non-linearly and it’s done so, so well. The present pieces weave seamlessly into the past pieces and you will have feelings about everyone and everything as you turn the pages.
History Is All You Left Me is truly about so much more than dealing with loss though… it’s about coming to terms with your life not ultimately being what you thought it would be, losing your best friend, dealing with your inner demons and taking control of your life and Silvera explores these in such an incredible way.
I think what I loved most about this though, is that Adam’s characters are so real… like, no holds barred, you get the good, the bad, and the ugly and he doesn’t sugar coat much of anything. Griffin at times will frustrate you, and sadden you, but above all you’ll want good things for him and you’ll want him to figure out what he really needs, not what he thinks he needs. I’m going to be honest here and tell you that I had really strong feelings about both Theo and Jackson while I read this, (many of them not good) and my heart broke repeatedly for what Griffin was forced to face.
Ugh – I feel like I’m selling this as a hugely depressing book, but it truly isn’t… Adam is amazing at finding the humor in things that you might not expect there to be any. He manages to yes, break your heart into pieces, but he also manages to piece you back together with laughter like no other.
If you’re looking for an amazing coming-of-age story with characters and a story that will resonate with you, then look no further. History Is All You Left Me will be shelved among my all-time favorite books and you definitely will want to grab this asap in January!
About Adam Silvera
Adam Silvera was born and raised in the Bronx, New York and is tall for no reason. He was a bookseller before shifting to children’s publishing where he worked at a literary development company, a creative writing website for teens, and as a book reviewer of children’s and young adult novels. He lives in New York City. More Happy Than Not is his debut novel.
Recent Comments