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Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock | October 16, 2013

by Matthew Quick (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, August 2013)

Despite its prominent presence in real-life adolescence, teen angst is a difficult emotion to capture, and is rarely done right in YA lit. It’s a mix of “no one understands me,” “it’s easier to build walls than confront my feelings,” and “deep down, I want to find something in this life that’s meaningful to me.” It’s also a lot of uninhibited anger. ‘Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock’ not only nails this weird, visceral mixture of feelings, but it also uses this angst to tell an incredibly heart-wrenching story sure to resonate with anyone who has ever felt that they live in a world where they don’t belong.

 

Today is Leonard Peacock’s birthday. It’s also the day he’s going to kill himself, and his former best friend. But first, he needs to give presents to the four people who matter to him most. As is sadly the case in real life, it’s easy to dismiss Leonard as just another unreasonably angry teenager, just another unfortunate statistic. But as his story unravels — and as he reveals more and more about his past — it becomes clear that his problems are deeper seated and more disturbing than anyone could have ever imagined. Leonard’s narration moves at a breakneck pace; his thoughts feel simultaneously frenzied and focused. What struck me most about Leonard’s character, though, is that despite his insistence that the world means nothing to him and he wants to hurt both himself and others, there’s a small but potent part of him that wants to find meaning in this world, that wants reassurance that things ultimately get better, even for people who are prone to sadness. I can’t stop thinking about Leonard, and I have no doubt that readers will find hope in this honest, unflinching portrayal of uncontrollable anger and the infinite possibilities that stem from confronting it head on.

 

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