Suicide Notes
By Michael Thomas Ford (2008)
Fifteen-year-old Jeff wakes up on New Year’s Day to find himself in the hospital. Make that the psychiatric ward. With the nutjobs. Never mind the bandages on his wrists, clearly this is all a huge mistake. Jeff is perfectly fine, perfectly normal—not like the other kids in the hospital with him. They’ve got problems. But a funny thing happens as Jeff’s forty-five-day sentence drags on: the crazies start to seem less crazy. . . .
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2 thoughts on “Suicide Notes”
I’ve read a fair amount of the recommended choices on this summer reading list, but this novel has so far been the one I most enjoyed. It’s funny, witty, sarcastic, serious but not depressing, and the perfect length – I have no qualms with it.
Well, except for one. Suicide Notes, as all books do, contained several possible didactic messages. I have no issues with that, but I thought the author could have done a smoother job of slipping them in. For instance, this is a passage that Jeff, the protagonist, narrates on day 07:
“Am I lucky that I didn’t die? Am I lucky that, compared to the other kids here, my life doesn’t seem so bad? Maybe I am, but I have to say, I don’t feel lucky. For one thing, I’m stuck in this pit. And just because your life isn’t as awful as someone else’s, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck. You can’t compare how you feel to the way other people feel. It just doesn’t work. What might look like the perfect life – or even an okay life – to you might not be so okay for the person living in it.”
Granted, the chapter had been leading up to the message of not judging a book by its cover, but I was still taken by surprise at the bluntness of Jeff’s epiphany. I felt that the author wanted an opportunity to state his purpose uninterrupted and couldn’t wait to slip it in gradually. Some might disagree and claim that Jeff’s sudden realization goes perfectly with his characterization, but I thought it was a bit too rushed.
Anyway, I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Don’t be scared by the word “suicide” because it’s handled extremely well. I would also recommend reading It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini, which is also about a kid who also killed himself and goes to a psychiatric ward for a while to reflect on his life.
Before reading Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford, I expected a heavy novel since the topic that Ford is covering is a serious one but I was pleasantly surprised with the lighthearted feel. Suicide is such a serious and dark matter and it is really hard to write a book focusing on it without being too depressing but Suicide notes was both entertaining as well as educational. Suicide is a topic that is often hidden in our societies closed doors and so having a book about it could be helpful to those who are or were going through the same things as Jeff was. I loved how the characters are so well rounded and I felt a strong connection with each of them because they each had their own story and slowly throughout the novel, I was able to see them grow and concur whatever was blocking their path. I loved this book from cover to cover and I found that I finished it very quickly because the novel is so faced paced and was never dull. I feel as if this novel makes the topic of suicide much more approachable and being able to talk about it is the only way we can stop it from ever happening. I would without a doubt recommend with novel to everybody because it is not only relatable to those who are thinking of suicide but in so many other ways as well. I am sure that you will love this book just as much as I do so give it a try!