Book Review: “Where Was Goodbye?” by Janice Lynn Mather

“Where Was Goodbye?”‘ by Janice Lynn Mather (2024)

Genre: YA, Fiction, Contemporary

Page Length: 306 pages (hardcover edition)

Synopsis:

Karmen is about to start her last year of high school, but it’s only been six weeks since her brother, Julian, died by suicide. How is she supposed to focus on school when huge questions loom: Why is Julian gone? How could she have missed seeing his pain? Could she have helped him?

When a blowup at school gets Karmen sent home for a few weeks, life gets more complicated: things between her parents are tenser than ever, her best friend’s acting like a stranger, and her search to understand why Julian died keeps coming up empty.

New friend Pru both baffles and comforts Karmen, and there might finally be something happening with her crush, Isaiah, but does she have time for either, or are they just more distractions? Will she ever understand Julian’s struggle and tragedy? If not, can she love—and live—again?

Review:

This was a very difficult, raw, and emotional read from beginning to end. Because of its content, it goes without saying there are multiple trigger warnings surrounding topics of suicide and mental health. Those sensitive to reading those topics should be advised before diving into this book in which the author does with great care at the beginning of novel.

The book while I appreciated the conversation about important, heavy topics felt a bit rushed to me. It’s fast paced nature felt like everything was happening so fast in the process of Karmen’s healing journey. I felt the story would have benefited by taking many of its elements going slower especially as we only get small snippets of Karmen in therapy, the secrets hidden within her own house, and trying to cope with changing friendships. It felt like a lot was done in a short amount of time.

I loved Mather’s writing style and how she weaves together an narrative that will stick with readers even after they finish the novel. Throughout the novel she showcases the nuances of grief and how it’s healing process can be challenging and non-linear. We not only see how the death of Julian severely affects Karmen but the rest of the household and her mother deep sorrow to her father’s struggle to keep a sense of normalcy in the home.

Mather did a good job tackling the difficult issues with much sensitivity. The book felt realistic and the impact of the subject matter was impactful as well as raising awareness awareness about mental health.

Final Verdict: