When it comes to the typical family dinner, there seems to be a universal understanding of topics that are not to be discussed. Even though family is often the people we are closest to, we tend to stray away from emotionally strenuous topics with our loved ones. Recently I was trying to answer the typical small talk questions along the lines of, “How are your classes going?” and “Is anything new at work?” while sitting down for a meal with my folks. I began to wonder, how would our relationships with our loved ones change if we erased the fear of asking difficult questions, especially those regarding mental health.
According to a recent survey conducted by the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the third leading cause of death for college-age youths. The fact is young people are extremely susceptible to depression and suicide, but are often afraid to bring their feelings to the table. Advocates who are willing to promote the importance of listening and opening up discussions about mental health have become a necessity. In Gayle Forman’s most recent novel I Was Here she takes on this role and serves up the forbidden topic of teen suicide on a silver platter.
Forman is no stranger when it comes to dishing out topics that may be hard for some to swallow. She began her career as a journalist for Seventeen Magazine, which explains her precisely accurate ability to encompass the voice of young adults. Forman has also won several awards for her fearless literary works that are unafraid to push through the comfort zones of her readers. She became a New York Times Bestseller for her novel If I Stay and its sequel Where She Went, which tell the story of a young girl who is in a coma after surviving a catastrophic car crash and must now decide if she should live or die. Her other critically acclaimed novels Just One Day and Just One Year have captured audiences with stories that break through the realm of typical star-crossed romances.
I Was Here wraps readers into the mysterious suicidal death of Meg Garcia in a way that is refreshing rather than daunting. When Meg unexpectedly drinks industrial strength cleaner in a dodgy motel, her best friend Cody is determined to unravel the real reason why her luminous and brilliant friend would take her own life. Cody travels to Meg’s college town and finds that she did not know her best friend as much as she had thought.
“How can you believe someone to be beautiful and amazing and just about the most magical person you’ve ever known, when it turns out she was in such pain that she had to drink poison that robbed her cells of oxygen until her heart had no choice but to stop beating? So don’t ask me about Meg. Because I don’t know shit.”
Cody’s journey quickly becomes captivating as each clue leads her closer to the pressing answers she seeks. The more Cody acquaints herself with Meg’s life at the university, the more secrets unravel. An encrypted computer file and emails between an ex lover Ben McAllister, casts doubt on everything Cody knew about her best friend. Through a trail of online forums, emails, and false certificates, Cody embarks on an expedition to apprehend the now elusive Meg, and is able to heal her own wounds in the process.
Forman’s ability to represent depression and suicide among teens, in a way that is friendly to all readers, is truly remarkable. Instead of contributing to taboos surrounding suicide and depression, she inspires her audience to reach out to one another through her riveting story. This novel had me turning every page in a heartbeat, and left me wondering, what role I can play in preventing suicide? I found myself growing attached to the thoughts and feelings of each character, and provoking my own ideas and opinions regarding the novel’s dark topic. I Was Here is a remarkable journey of life, death, and forgiveness that can positively alter ways in which mental health disorders are perceived.
If you would like to learn more about ways to offer support towards people living with suicidal thoughts visit The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline HERE.
The Fountain 