Wednesday 22 February 2017

Review: History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera


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Rating

Review

After reading Adam Silvera's debut novel More Happy Than Not, I thought I was prepared for this. But apparently, I was wrong. Nothing could've prepared me for all the feelings I went through while reading this book. Right from the beginning, it is shown that the main character Griffin is grieving the death of his boyfriend, and the story how everything happened unfolds with each new chapter, alternating between present and past.

“People are complicated puzzles, always trying to piece together a complete picture, but sometimes we get it wrong and sometimes we’re left unfinished. Sometimes that’s for the best. Some pieces can’t be forced into a puzzle, or at least they shouldn’t be, because they won’t make sense.” 

I had no idea how this book would turn out when I started it, especially when I knew so little about what happened between the characters, but one thing was clear - I was going to be an emotional mess after finishing this book. And that's exactly what happened. Adam Silvera has a way of writing which connects to you, every word speaks to your heart, and also tears you apart without you even knowing it. Both of his books are so emotional, and has one thing in common - pain of losing someone. I still remember crying over MHTN last year when I read it, and this book had the exact same effect on me. Adam Silvera's writing is simply beautiful, and more than that, the stories he writes are so worth reading because it deals with characters whom you can connect to, their stories which will leave you emotionally exhausted, but still you can't stop reading it.

This story is of Griffin, who is grieving the death of his first love, Theo. This book is completely character driven, and deals with the complex relationships between four guys, whose lives are somehow connect because of one person - Theo. Theo plays very important role in this story, as he was Griffin's first love and best friend, but then has a new boyfriend in California, Jackson, and is also a best friend of Wade. Theo, Wade, and Griffin are shown to be very close friends, and I really adored their friendship. In between all this, Griffin also deals with his ocd. As the story progresses, we can see how much his ocd is affecting his life, and the people around him. But everything changes at one point, and their relationship with each other take a completely different turn. And the reason behind that is revealed in parts throughout the book.

There are also side characters which contributes a lot to this story, like Griffin's parents, whom I loved because they were always so supportive of him and it showed how much they cared for him. Which reminds me of the hilarious scenes between Wade, Theo, Griffin, and his parents. Although this book is very heavy, there are enough funny scenes, nerdy references, and witty comments to balance it out.

History Is All You Left Me is a story of pain, grief, loss, love, and friendship. It shows how painful it is to let go of the person whom you love the most, to tell them you're happy when you're not, so that they can move on in their life. This book might be very emotional, but it's worth reading. If you think that this book is too heavy, it's not. It has its funny moments. And I highly recommend reading this book, it's a beautiful story and you'll be glad that you read the book once you reach at the end of the book.

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