But the intimacy explored in History Is All You Left Me is even more complex. This is a refreshing premise in a YA novel, as most narratives tend to imply strong distinctions between friendship and romance, that one cannot be friends with the people they date. He learns to reconcile the fact that his relationship with Theo, his relationship with Jackson, and his relationship with his best friend Wade are all distinct from each other. Griffin spends the novel learning the many ways he can love those around him. The struggle to communicate grief drives much of the story.īut even more than that, the story is an exploration of intimacy. As each character grieves, they approach the process in their own way.
This book explores the rocky terrain of coping with loss and the different ways of handling death. Many may point to History is All You Left Me as an exploration of grief. This is no single issue addressed in this book, and that fact alone is refreshing. Because of the first-person narrative, readers are given intimate insight into the function of Griffin’s compulsive process. The text is narrated by this obsessive mind, which runs each thought in even sequences. While the OCD doesn’t play a huge role in the beginning, it slowly informs each character as they push for what they think is best for Griffin. His OCD is not a defining personality trait but rather is one of many, including his nerdiness and his loyalty to his friends. Throughout the novel, Griffin deals with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
In “Present,” we watch Griffin move from uncontrollable grief to a hard-earned knowledge he discovers what life, even one imbued with loss, has to offer. In “History,” we see the optimistic blooming of a new relationship and how the dynamics evolve as looming adulthood makes life more complicated. Silvera masterfully weaves the two timelines together, offering devastating contrasts between what life could have been and what turns out to be. Told in alternating timelines, the story follows the narrative leading up to and succeeding Theo’s death. The two form a strange bond as they both try to cope with their deep loss. He can’t talk to his best friend Wade about it, and somehow Jackson seems to be the only one who understands. Griffin is left behind to figure out what to do with all of the pain. But, at the end of the day, Theo would return to Griffin. And yes, Theo had recently begun dating someone new, the kind-hearted Jackson. Sure, they broke up when Theo went across the country for college. The novel’s protagonist Griffin believed that he and his first love, Theo, were going to be together for ever. ‘History is All You Left Me’ by Adam SilveraĪdam Silvera is quickly becoming a YA powerhouse with his second book, History Is All You Left Me.
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