Friday, February 6, 2015

Review: My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18336965-my-heart-and-other-black-holes
My Heart and Other Black Holes
by Jasmine Warga
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Publication Date: February 10th 2015
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Pages: 320
ISBN: 9780062324672
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary | Suicide
Source: Edelweiss

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Sixteen-year-old physics nerd Aysel is obsessed with plotting her own death. With a mother who can barely look at her without wincing, classmates who whisper behind her back, and a father whose violent crime rocked her small town, Aysel is ready to turn her potential energy into nothingness.

There’s only one problem: she’s not sure she has the courage to do it alone. But once she discovers a website with a section called Suicide Partners, Aysel’s convinced she’s found her solution: a teen boy with the username FrozenRobot (aka Roman) who’s haunted by a family tragedy is looking for a partner.

Even though Aysel and Roman have nothing in common, they slowly start to fill in each other’s broken lives. But as their suicide pact becomes more concrete, Aysel begins to question whether she really wants to go through with it. Ultimately, she must choose between wanting to die or trying to convince Roman to live so they can discover the potential of their energy together. Except that Roman may not be so easy to convince. (Goodreads)
To be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect when I first started reading My Heart and Other Black Holes. You just never know how a book with such a sensitive subject is going to work out. I’ve read quite a few books lately that deal with suicide, and they were all very unique in their own ways. My Heart and Other Black Holes is definitely unique, and it is also a story that will give you hope.

Aysel and Roman have absolutely nothing in common, other than wanting to end their own lives. They both have a pretty heartbreaking story to tell, although Roman’s story was a bit more distressing in many ways. They both know the dark places of life, the black slug that sucks away any happiness that they could ever hope to experience again. But through this darkness, there is hope, even when it comes from the place you least expect it.

I don’t want you to think that this entire story was sad, because it wasn’t. Aysel was a pretty smart kid, and I kind of love how obsessed she was with physics and classical music. She brought it into her everyday life in every way she possibly could. She was also pretty snarky, which I kind of love in any character. And while Roman felt guilty for ever being happy, we get to see a few of the things that bring a little happiness as well.

The thing that I didn’t expect while reading a book about teen suicide was that there was just so much hope in it. And this hope shines through in the most unexpected ways for these characters; they just have to learn where to look for it.

Overall; My Heart and Other Black Holes was a really touching read about a very touchy subject. I hope that the book will send a great message across to its readers to let them know that there is hope out there, and help as well. Even when you feel the most hopeless, there is always hope.



4 comments:

  1. I thought this was pretty well done. I had a few issues, but overall, I agree that it was a good combo of sadness and hope.

    Kate @ Ex Libris

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  2. This seems like an amazing read! Although I'm cautious about reading it because I have a feeling that it'll make me sad for a while after reading it.
    Kim @ Divergent Gryffindor

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  3. I don't generally read Contemporaries, but if they have a social message I am more inclined to check them out, as long as they aren't copycats of more popular books. This one sounds pretty good.

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  4. I am glad there was hope in this one as well. It makes me feel more optimistic about reading this one. That aside, seeing as I love the title to this book so much I know I want to read it!

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