Fall for Anything

Gr 9 Up—Seventeen-year-old Eddie Reeves's father, a once-famous photographer, commits suicide by jumping off the roof of an abandoned warehouse. Seth Reeves left a note saying only that he loved Eddie and her mother, Robyn, but that he had to leave. As Eddie grapples with the question of why, she finds comfort in her best friend, Milo, until his ex-girlfriend moves back to town and drives a wedge between them. Then Eddie meets Culler Evans, her father's student and protégé, with whom she immediately feels a romantic connection as well as a shared sense of loss. Culler discovers that some photographs Seth left in his studio are numbered, like a map, with a fragmented message at each location. Ignoring Milo's disapproval, Eddie and Culler set out on a road trip to each building to put the puzzle together. This novel convincingly captures the feelings of confusion, isolation, and anger that accompany losing a loved one to suicide, along with the implicit desire to hold the victim accountable for the sadness he's caused. Eddie's tendency to use strong language and make hyperbolic statements reflects her age and the intensity of the tragedy she's experienced. Beth, Robyn's bossy and Botoxed best friend, is the only weak character in this otherwise expertly crafted novel about the quest for peace after a death in the family. Jandy Nelson's The Sky Is Everywhere (Dial, 2010) is a similar story of a grieving girl pulled between two young men as she struggles to find peace and move on.—Amy Pickett, Ridley High School, Folsom, PA