Thought Train to Pusan

--> I have previously read Adam Silvera’s two other novels, More Happy Than Not and They Both Die at the End , and found them both to be quite enjoyable and touching to read. So obviously there is some skill there, but I found that with this new novel, I just couldn’t get into it as much as I would have liked. History is All You Left Me follows a teenager named Griffin as he mourns the death of his ex-boyfriend and best friend, Theo. The two had been friends for a long time along with their other friend in their little squad of 3, Wade, but eventually Theo and Griffin started dating. After Theo left for college, the two grew apart, Theo found someone new in a boy named Jackson, and the three former best friends found themselves crumbling within this new structure. The story now focuses on Griffin and his grieving process, showing both present day where Griffin learns all about who Theo became with his new boyfriend, but also switching back to show the history and...

What would you do if you were informed that you had less than a day to live? This is a rhetorical question you may have heard at some point (or many) in your life, whether just posed as a discussion topic or perhaps something to truly face in the circumstances of life. In They Both Die at the End , Adam Silvera explores this question through the eyes of two teenage boys, in a world wherein a new system called "Death Cast" will at midnight predict everyone who will die within the next 24 hours, and alerts these individuals of their upcoming passing: the how, where, or why, however, is not known, just that it will occur at some point during the day before the clock once again strikes midnight. This whole situation and story could very well play out in a Final Destination, horror-trope way, and while the protagonists are obviously anxious about things happening, Silvera opts for a more internal, empathetic approach, in examining ideas of identity, possibilities, and how humani...

I’m not sure how I keep finding these books that result in me wanting to have long personal discussions but, alas, the Amazon recommendations have led me here yet again. Adam Silvera’s young adult book More Happy Than Not is one of those ones that wasn’t amazing, but I still enjoyed and wanted to get through quickly. While the story and progression may have been a touch clumsy at times, some of the universal themes of pain, memory, suppression, and relationships were brought forth well. Perhaps a little obvious at times in the language and dialogue, but I suppose that is sometimes to be expected in books targeted at younger audiences, right? Not always, but you can definitely see some of the messages and ideas being laid out very directly near the end of the novel. But let’s get discussing what this novel is about, and then dive into some of the subjects it brought forth in my mind, shall we? What we begin with is a 16 year-old young man named Aaron, living in s pretty tight-knit...