Saving June
Hannah Harrington
Harlequin Teen, Nov 22 2011, $9.99
ISBN: 9780373210244
In Michigan, a few days before she is to graduate from high school, June Scott committed suicide. After her funeral, her sixteen years old sister Harper wants to know two things; first why and why can’t family and friends leave her grieve in peace. To escape the well meaning trite, Harper hides in the backyard where she runs into her late sibling’s friend Jake, who apparently created the final musical interlude June listened to as she died.
Harper wonders whether June’s boyfriend Tyler the cheat, her parents divorce, her mom’s refusal to let her go to California for college, or the sisters’ estrangement is the prime cause. With a need to grieve her way while seeking closure with her sister’s death and her parents’ war over urns; Harper, her best friend Laney, and Jake as the driver head to California to spread June’s ashes.
This is a profound look at the impact of teen suicide on surviving loved ones. The cast is solid as readers learn what drove June over the edge, her parents are so not there for her sister, and even the death of their child fails to abate temporarily the divorce war. Although the attraction between Harper and Jake at times intrudes the poignant grief, readers will understand Harper's narration as she mourns her loss and regrets failing to see the signs of weakness in her allegedly stronger older sister.
Harriet Klausner
Hannah Harrington
Harlequin Teen, Nov 22 2011, $9.99
ISBN: 9780373210244
In Michigan, a few days before she is to graduate from high school, June Scott committed suicide. After her funeral, her sixteen years old sister Harper wants to know two things; first why and why can’t family and friends leave her grieve in peace. To escape the well meaning trite, Harper hides in the backyard where she runs into her late sibling’s friend Jake, who apparently created the final musical interlude June listened to as she died.
Harper wonders whether June’s boyfriend Tyler the cheat, her parents divorce, her mom’s refusal to let her go to California for college, or the sisters’ estrangement is the prime cause. With a need to grieve her way while seeking closure with her sister’s death and her parents’ war over urns; Harper, her best friend Laney, and Jake as the driver head to California to spread June’s ashes.
This is a profound look at the impact of teen suicide on surviving loved ones. The cast is solid as readers learn what drove June over the edge, her parents are so not there for her sister, and even the death of their child fails to abate temporarily the divorce war. Although the attraction between Harper and Jake at times intrudes the poignant grief, readers will understand Harper's narration as she mourns her loss and regrets failing to see the signs of weakness in her allegedly stronger older sister.
Harriet Klausner
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