Stevens, Victoria Don’t Forget Me, 357 pages. Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2018. $18.
Language: R (81 swears, 10 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG-13 (teens drinking);
Violence: PG (bar fight).
Hazel, 17, has been uprooted from her homeland of England
and sent to Australia to live with the father she has never met. She is holding out hope that she will soon
get the call that will mean she can move back home again, but meanwhile she has
to deal with a new school, new friends, and a new parent. She is luckily befriended by a small but
loyal group at school and finds another friend on the beach near her
house. Then there is Luca – angry and
grieving and a part of both groups. Luca
and Hazel form a tentative mutual support and work to help Luca, at least, work
through one of his problems. When all of
Hazel’s final secrets are revealed, however, she’s not sure that anyone will
stand beside her.
I’m glad that Stevens decided to keep her narrative pretty
simple – with no major new parent drama or a bullying cluttering things up. Instead we see a poignant look at grief and
mourning and relationship building that is tender and earnest. Very nice first novel.
HS – OPTIONAL (ratings).
Cindy, Library Teacher
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