Review Detail

Caitlin Madison is in mourning. Her pretty much only and best friend, Ingrid, committed suicide just before the end of sophomore year. Caitlin cant grasp that Ingrid is gone. Shes certain that, as a best friend, she should have seen the signs and done something about it. Worst thing is that, somehow, Ingrid slipped her diary under Caitlins bed before her final act. Caitlin is afraid to read it, fearing shell find the suicide note that Ingrids parents never found.

Caitlin and her mother spend the summer traveling in Northern California. And then its back to school. The first shock is how Ms. Delani, their photography teacher and their favorite teacher, is ignoring Caitlin. Ingrid was a superior photographer and Caitlin felt like a sidekick, but even so, she expected more from Ms. Delani. Caitlin spends a lot of her spare time in the back seat of her car, the one she cant drive because she never got her license. She spends a lot of time avoiding other students because (a) they were not really her friends and (b) she doesnt want to talk about Ingrid.

But several things happen that she must face. Shes befriended by a new girl at school, Dylan, who rumor has it is a lesbian and was kicked out of her previous school because she got caught kissing a girl. Shes also befriended by Taylor, a boy in the in-crowd. Can these two events bring Caitlin out of her depression?

Nina LaCours Hold Still is a wonderful book. It is on a par with The Hate List by Jennifer Brown and Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher although it tackles suicide from a different perspective&one girls struggle to cope with the emotions resulting from the suicide of a best friend. Caitlin must battle everything: her parents concern, the expectations and requirements of a new friendship with Dylan and the fear that it will diminish her friendship with Ingrid, the possibility of a boyfriend, the disappointment of a teachers reaction to her.

Every character is real. Every emotion is real. Ingrid comes alive (no pun intended) based on Caitlins reminiscences. Incorporating photography into the plot enhances the storys effectiveness. According to my friend Helen, Ms. LaCour, who is her sons English teacher in California, &is nice as can be. She's working on a new novel right now. Its good to know that a gifted author is nice and that a new novel is in the works.

Should I have given this book 5 stars instead of 4? Who knows. Im a conservative grader. Suffice it to say, you should read Hold Still. Then read The Hate List (which I reviewed here and gave 4 stars) and Thirteen Reasons Why (which is also reviewed here).