Review: Leave Me by Gayle Forman

Leave Me by Gayle Forman

Published September 6th 2016 by Algonquin Books

International bestselling author Gayle Forman's trademark humor and insight abound in this masterful adult debut, showing us that sometimes you have to leave home in order to find it again.

For every woman who has ever fantasized about driving past her exit on the highway instead of going home to make dinner, for every woman who has ever dreamed of boarding a train to a place where no one needs constant attention--meet Maribeth Klein. A harried working mother who's so busy taking care of her husband and twins, she doesn't even realize she's had a heart attack.

Afterward, surprised to discover that her recuperation seems to be an imposition on those who rely on her, Maribeth does the unthinkable: She packs a bag and leaves. But, as is so often the case, once we get to where we're going, we see our lives from a different perspective. Far from the demands of family and career and with the help of liberating new friendships, Maribeth is finally able to own up to secrets she has been keeping from those she loves and from herself.

With big-hearted characters who stumble and trip, grow and forgive, Leave Me is about facing our fears. Gayle Forman, a dazzling observer of human nature, has written an irresistible novel that confronts the ambivalence of modern motherhood head-on.

My Thoughts

Gayle Forman is one of my favorite authors, so I was really excited to see her publish Leave Me. Then, I read the description of the story, and it completely spoke to me!

I jumped right in with high hopes of connecting with the main character and possibly experiencing some self-discovery of my own. I mean, what over-worked mother doesn't fantasize about a little get-a-away to focus on just yourself? Everything about Maribeth jumped right out at me… works full-time (check), two young and very, very busy children (check), completely over-stretched with commitments to family and friends (check), struggling with medical ailments (recent check)… yes it all hit home. So when Maribeth's medical recovery from a heart attack becomes an imposition on her family, she decides to pack up and leave for some time to heal both physically and emotionally.

The first half of the story really grabbed me because of the similarities I share with the character (minus the heart attack). However, the story suddenly transpired into a mom looking for her birth mother to understand her medical history and why she was put up for adoption. As Maribeth continues her quest, she also grapples with the pain of her breakup in her early twenties to the man she was now married to.

Overall, the story had a little bit of everything, and in the end I sort of lost my connection to the events and emotions of the main character. I was hoping for something different, and unfortunately this didn't quite connect with me like I hoped.

Still looking forward to seeing what Forman publishes next.

3 Suns

Review: I Was Here by Gayle Forman

I Was Here by Gayle Forman

Published January 27th 2015 by Listening Library (Audio)

Cody and Meg were inseparable.
Two peas in a pod.
Until . . . they weren’t anymore.

When her best friend Meg drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how was there no warning? But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her. About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington. About Ben McAllister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, and some secrets of his own. And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can’t open—until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend’s death gets thrown into question.
I Was Here is Gayle Forman at her finest, a taut, emotional, and ultimately redemptive story about redefining the meaning of family and finding a way to move forward even in the face of unspeakable loss.

My Thoughts
When I Was Here by Gayle Forman was released, I had the opportunity to meet this author during an event at one of my local independent book stores. The signing started out as most do with an excerpt reading from the book, and when the talented narrator Jorjeana Marie took to the podium to bring this story to life, I knew right then I wanted to experience her version through audio.

Well, as with that moment during the event, I was absolutely engrossed by how Jorjeana Marie made this emotional journey feel so real. I finished this audio faster than I have any other because I just couldn’t put it down! Thank you Ms. Marie for giving me an excuse to stay on my treadmill a little bit longer to hear just a little bit more. :)

In I Was Here, we meet Cody as she takes an emotional journey to try and understand why her best friend Meg took her life through suicide. Cody and Meg have been best friends since they were little, and when Cody stays behind in their small town as Meg leaves for college, she struggles to understand how she and Meg drifted so far apart that she couldn’t confide in Cody about her suicide plan. What starts off as a journey for discovery eventually becomes a slight mystery Cody is determined to solve, which involves suicide help boards and a stranger that coached Meg to her death. Cody is not alone in this discovery. Meg’s college roommates and the infamous Ben McAllister help Cody uncover a part of Meg she never knew.

I Was Here is definitely signature of Gayle Forman’s ability to pen a story filled with hard-hitting themes like suicide, depression, love, and self-discovery. As with all of her novels, when you’re done you feel like you’ve achieved completion and closure with her story, and this book is no exception.

Forman’s characters always jump off the pages for me, and Cody did exactly that. I felt like I was journeying right alongside with her. I appreciated her hard exterior that sometimes cracked and exposed her vulnerabilities. I enjoyed watching her fall in love and fight it from beginning to end. But most of all, I applauded her ability to learn and process as she stumbled upon realizations that at times would have broken even me. Cody was a worthy protagonist and Ben was a nice compliment once the wrinkles were ironed out.

Well, I guess I’m back to waiting on the next Forman novel. She’s been on my favorite author’s list for years and after I Was Here, she will remain there.

4 Suns