From the author of Six Sides of Suicide:
Kaylee is sixteen and has everything going for her. She’s smart, popular, and attractive, but there’s one thing wrong: she’s depressed. She knows she will end her life, but the only question is how? She wants to make a difference when she dies, and sympathetic suicide is the answer, by donating her heart to a boy she can never truly love. Sometimes the journey to fulfilling our destiny can bring about the biggest change.
Six Sides of Suicide is an interesting book. At first, I thought it was going to be a realistic contemporary story about teens struggling with depression and navigating complicated relationships. However, as I continued reading, other things began to sneak in: occasionally, the story dived into peculiar dreams or flights of imagination, particularly when Kaylee, the protagonist, was narrating. In addition, some fantasy elements showed up when the characters explored the cabin in the valley. As they learned about the family who lived there, they began speculating about curses, magic potions, and witchcraft. Sometimes, I felt like I was reading two different books, but maybe the author intended to reflect Kaylee’s mental state as she narrated what was happening. Also, the point of view switched back and forth a lot, not only among the characters, but also between third and first person. It wasn’t too hard to follow, but it confused me a few times, and I couldn’t tell if it was intentional or not.
Kaylee’s despair felt authentic, as did her inability to understand why she wanted to die. Watching her pretend to be okay while she was falling apart inside was very sad. This book explores the effects of depression and acknowledges how it can exist in plain sight. One particularly tragic aspect about the story was that Kaylee’s friends knew she was in trouble, but none of them were able (or willing) to help her. I’m not sure why the story had such an emphasis on sexual abuse, especially because it was never connected back to Kaylee’s depression. I feel like sexual abuse is a serious topic that should have a clear purpose in a story and should be treated with the appropriate depth. Also, I don’t think it’s realistic for teens to talk so casually about rape. Maybe the point was to show that Kaylee was living in a totally twisted and depraved world.
I don’t want to give away the ending, but it was very dark. I’m also not sure what point the story was trying to make—perhaps that suicide leads to regrets and that the decision to commit suicide is irreversible. I appreciate that the author included information at the beginning of the book warning about the heavy topics in the story; also, he provided the phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255). I don’t think this would be a good book for depressed teens to read, especially because of Kaylee’s explicit suicidal ideation, the graphic descriptions of suicide, and the reference to self-harm. However, the story does an excellent job showing the distorted thought processes that can ultimately lead to suicide, and it was fascinating to read.
FTC Disclosure: I received a free copy of the book reviewed above.
Author photograph by Stephanie Dribus
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