The Memory of Light
Books | Young Adult Fiction / Social Themes / Depression
4.1
(266)
Francisco X. Stork
This beautiful novel from the author of Marcelo in the Real World about life after a suicide attempt is perfect for fans of It's Kind of a Funny Story and Thirteen Reasons Why.When Vicky Cruz wakes up in the Lakeview Hospital Mental Disorders ward, she knows one thing: After her suicide attempt, she shouldn't be alive. But then she meets Mona, the live wire; Gabriel, the saint; E.M., always angry; and Dr. Desai, a quiet force. With stories and honesty, kindness and hard work, they push her to reconsider her life before Lakeview, and offer her an acceptance she's never had.But Vicky's newfound peace is as fragile as the roses that grow around the hospital. And when a crisis forces the group to split up, sending Vicky back to the life that drove her to suicide, she must try to find her own courage and strength. She may not have them. She doesn't know.Inspired in part by the author's own experience with depression, The Memory of Light is the rare young adult novel that focuses not on the events leading up to a suicide attempt, but the recovery from one -- about living when life doesn't seem worth it, and how we go on anyway.
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More Details:
Author
Francisco X. Stork
Pages
336
Publisher
Scholastic Inc.
Published Date
2016-01-26
ISBN
0545634024 9780545634021
Community ReviewsSee all
"My love for this book is definitely a personal one. So much of Vicky's feelings and descriptions while depressed were as though I had written about my depression. The constant worry of being a burden, of being disgusted with yourself, of feeling you have no worth and nothing to offer anyone and that you're "pretending" when you do or say things that you don't feel are "true." Reading Dr. Desai tell Vicky that just because you have a thought doesn't make it true was something I needed to hear. It took me longer than it should've to read because sometimes it hit home too much, especially since I've been stuck in a depressive state for a couple of weeks.<br/><br/>And not only is she dealing with her depression, but the grief and loss of her mom! "Is it possible to transform the yearning that you have for a loved one into the energy needed to dig around the daily rocks? I miss you Mama. You're my memory of light." <br/><br/>Truly this book either said the things I've thought or said the things I needed to hear."