There is nothing so modern as a novel that is about the three dots you see on your message app when someone else is writing a message. Our protagonist is perpetually waiting for those three dots to materialize into something because his three best friends have died. This book is about deep loss and how many people process it differently. It is worth reading for contemplating your own understanding of death and what it means to feel deeply responsible for others' actions.
“Gorgeous, heartbreaking, and ultimately life-affirming.” —Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything.
Perfect for fans of Turtles All the Way Down,Thirteen Reasons Why, and Zentner’s own The Serpent King, one of the most highly acclaimed YA novels of 2016, Goodbye Days asks what you would do if you could spend one last day with someone you lost.
Where are you guys? Text me back. That’s the last message Carver Briggs will ever send his three best friends, Mars, Eli, and Blake. He never thought that it would lead to their death.
Now Carver can’t stop blaming himself for the accident and even worse, a powerful judge is pressuring the district attorney to open up a criminal investigation.
Luckily, Carver has some unexpected allies: Eli’s girlfriend, the only person to stand by him at school; Dr. Mendez, his new therapist; and Blake’s grandmother, who asks Carver to spend a “goodbye day” together to share their memories and say a proper farewell.
Soon the other families are asking for their own goodbye day with Carver—but he’s unsure of their motives. Will they all be able to make peace with their losses, or will these goodbye days bring Carver one step closer to a complete breakdown or—even worse—prison?
“Jeff Zentner, you perfectly fill the John-Green-sized hole in our heart.” —Justine Magazine
“Evocative, heartbreaking, and beautifully written.” —Buzzfeed
“Masterful.” —TeenVogue.com
“Hold on to your heart: this book will wreck you, fix you, and most definitely change you.” —Becky Albertalli, Morris Award-winning author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
