My Thoughts:
Julie feels responsible for Sam's death. After all, if they had not gotten into a fight, and if she did not leave, he would not have come after her. . .the accident would not have happened. . .Sam would still be a phone call away. Julie has not shown up to the funeral, she has not attended any of the events for Sam, she has not gone over to his house to check on his parents. Her grades are plummeting and all her plans to go to Reed College in Oregon seem to be slipping away along with all of her future plans that she and Sam made together. Out of desperation, she calls Sam just to hear his voicemail. But Sam answers. They don't know what this is or how long this will last, but Julie can hold on to Sam for a while longer.
I was drawn to this concept. Wouldn't grief be so much easier if there was a chance to say goodbye more slowly to our loved ones? I know my grandfather talked to my grandmother every morning at breakfast for years. After all, they had been married for 60 years so perhaps that was a natural ritual for them and he was slow to let go. For Julie, the calls are her chance to ask the most important question that has been keeping her from moving on and letting go. I think at the end what makes this concept so poignant is that the author does not shy away from the complexity of this "gift" and how this ability to reach out to our loved ones is not always a positive thing.
From the publisher:
Seventeen-year-old Julie Clarke has her future all planned out―move out of her small town with her boyfriend Sam, attend college in the city; spend a summer in Japan. But then Sam dies. And everything changes.
Heartbroken, Julie skips his funeral, throws out his belongings, and tries everything to forget him. But a message Sam left behind in her yearbook forces memories to return. Desperate to hear him one more time, Julie calls Sam's cell phone just to listen to his voice mail recording. And Sam picks up the phone.
The connection is temporary. But hearing Sam's voice makes Julie fall for him all over again and with each call, it becomes harder to let him go.
What would you do if you had a second chance at goodbye?
Heartbroken, Julie skips his funeral, throws out his belongings, and tries everything to forget him. But a message Sam left behind in her yearbook forces memories to return. Desperate to hear him one more time, Julie calls Sam's cell phone just to listen to his voice mail recording. And Sam picks up the phone.
The connection is temporary. But hearing Sam's voice makes Julie fall for him all over again and with each call, it becomes harder to let him go.
What would you do if you had a second chance at goodbye?
Publication information:
Author: Dustin Thao
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publication date: November 9, 2021
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