Author: Matthew Quick
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: August 13, 2013
ISBN-13: 978-0316221337
288 pp.
ARC provided by publisher
Matthew Quick has had a lot of heat since the film adaptation of Silver Linings Playbooks came out, and I was as eager as anyone to read Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock.
It's Leonard Peacock's eighteenth birthday and he plans to go to school and kill his former best friend and then commit suicide.
As the day progresses, we learn why Leonard has decided this is the best way to escape the loneliness and hopelessness of his shitty life. His self-absorbed Mom doesn't even remember it's his birthday, so he knows he's not going to get any presents, but he gives presents to four people he thinks of as friends, although he doesn't really have any friends.
These four people react to Leonard's gifts in different ways, including anger and suspicion. But one person, a teacher, realizes what Leonard's gift means. And that one person tries to give the gift of hope back to Leonard.
Although Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock can be bleak and intense, it is ultimately about hope. It is not a book for everyone, but it will be the book to make a difference to many.
I recommend Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock to readers who enjoyed Blankets by Craig Thompson or Winger by Andrew Smith.
Bonus Video: Matthew Quick introduces Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock
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