Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle - Nirvana

Adios, Nirvana

Author: Conrad Wesselhoeft
Genre: young adult, music
Pages: 235
ARC Acquired From: Houghton Mifflin booth at ALA 2010

Brief Summary:
Jonathan, a promising poet, has been tempted by suicide, by taking a leap or fall from some high place and ending his life, ever since the tragic death of his twin brother Telemachus. He is an insomniac, addicted to No Doz and Red Bull, and failing all of his classes. His life is going nowhere fast and he just wants to get there faster. The book takes place in the pivotal moment where he can choose between living and dying, where he can make a comeback and figure out how to live without his brother and be his own person or not. This is a story of grieving, of rock music and of poetry.

Review:
From the first few pages, I thought I would have to force myself to get through this book. I hated those pages and wanted nothing to do with the story following. I would summarize them thus: Boy depressed by the passing of brother gets drunk with friends. Boy pees over the edge of a ledge twenty feet up. Boy vomits epically and descriptively. Boy falls, mostly non-accidentally, off of the ledge and into the puke. This is, in my opinion, not an excellent start to a book or anything I am particularly into reading. Having continued though, I was rewarded for my perseverance.

This is not to say that this book is one that I will keep in my personal collection or probably ever read again. But it definitely had its moments and had a few fantastic quotes. More than that though, it had heart and passion. The descriptions of poetry, of the writing process and of music are unbeatable. Wesselhoeft really makes the reader feel the creative juices flowing and get really into those moments. The best parts of this book, the most engaging, are the scenes where very little is actually happening, the moments of contemplation and quiet, frenzied creation.

For all rock music fans and poets, Adios, Nirvana is definitely worth reading. It comes out tomorrow, so go give it a try!

"I miss the comfort in being sad."