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A review by la_melisma
A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner
4.0
While A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend had its fault--the largest among them being the completely unrealistic dialogue in which the characters (mostly teenagers) beautifully and thoughtfully articulate every point they need to make--Horner did a skillful job portraying the various ways in which grief manifests itself. Ultimately, what I liked most about this book was that Horner wasn't afraid to show the dirty, ambiguous side of life and love. She illustrated all the turmoil and uncertainty that accompanies trying to learn how to live your life while still honoring someone who's gone.
Horner shows that grief isn't all crying and sadness; it's anger and inertia and blame and love. Cass is a character that at times, is far from likable and makes some really poor decisions; she spends a large portion of the middle of the book--specifically in the chapters that narrate her "road trip"--not knowing what to do, not having any answers. Sure, that doesn't make for a particularly spell-binding read, but it's also a very honest depiction of life and coming to terms with death. I've read through far too many books where even if the character professes not to know what to do in a given situation, he/she still makes a quick, and often right, decision simply to move the plot along and keep the tone upbeat. Horner doesn't fall into that trap; she portrays teenagers for what they really are: people who make mistakes and are still learning about life and themselves.
Overall, I very much enjoyed A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend. Horner artfully tackling the types of heavy issues that many authors don't go near: death, jealousy, sexuality, gender roles, etc.
Horner shows that grief isn't all crying and sadness; it's anger and inertia and blame and love. Cass is a character that at times, is far from likable and makes some really poor decisions; she spends a large portion of the middle of the book--specifically in the chapters that narrate her "road trip"--not knowing what to do, not having any answers. Sure, that doesn't make for a particularly spell-binding read, but it's also a very honest depiction of life and coming to terms with death. I've read through far too many books where even if the character professes not to know what to do in a given situation, he/she still makes a quick, and often right, decision simply to move the plot along and keep the tone upbeat. Horner doesn't fall into that trap; she portrays teenagers for what they really are: people who make mistakes and are still learning about life and themselves.
Overall, I very much enjoyed A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend. Horner artfully tackling the types of heavy issues that many authors don't go near: death, jealousy, sexuality, gender roles, etc.