Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner (Review #2)

“For the most part, you don't hold the people you love in your heart because they rescued you from drowning or pulled you from a burning house. Mostly you hold them in your heart because they save you, in a million quiet and perfect ways, from being alone.” 

-Jeff Zentner, Goodbye Days

I always seem to find myself getting drawn to emotional, tissue reaching, heart clutching (literally) stories, and maybe that's why I'm most likely to end up sobbing at the end of most of the stories that I've read. Obviously, the word 'Goodbye' in the title of Goodbye Days makes it pretty clear of the kind of mood the story holds, but like I've mentioned before, sadness attracts me for some reason, and as soon as I saw the novel on one of the shelves at the local bookstore, I reached for it.

But here's what I thought was weird: I put it off for weeks. I bought it as soon as my eyes caught a glimpse of its cover, but didn't read it until the next day, or the next day, or the next. It was as if I didn't want to deal with the entire idea that this particular novel might actually hit a soft spot in my heart; I guess now looking back, I was a little afraid. After all, it does emphasise on the strength of a friendship. So there I was sitting on my little bedroom with the book still in the plastic, safe and sound on top of my table. I still don't know why I didn't just went ahead and read it. Maybe it's the fact that I'm thousands of miles away from my comfort zone, my family, my friends. I guess you could say that I was terrified of being even more homesick than I already was.

Well, here's the good news: I finally read it! And I finished it! Took me a while, I admit, but it was definitely worth it. So let me tell you some of my thoughts.

The first chapter hit me straight away. Just like that, I was already feeling the narrator's sadness, having to deal with the death of his best friends' death all at once. Best friends. Not one. Not two. Three. Three unexpected deaths of the people that you love. All at the same time. Let's take some time to let that sink in. It made me feel his pain right away. And the last sentence in the first chapter? Boy, that actually managed to tear me up.

"I watch them lower the third member of Sauce Crew into the ground.

I am Sauce Crew now."

-Jeff Zentner, Goodbye Days 

Now let's talk about plot and characters. To be honest, I think it flowed beautifully and the characters are realistic enough. I especially liked the fact that he included a character, Jesmyn, whose got such a mixed background and a strong, strong passion for what she does best, Music. I also liked the less positive (I guess that's how I'll out it) characters, including Judge Edwards (one of the victims’ Dad) and Adair (one of the victims' twin), because although yes, they add anger and gloominess to the entire journey of Carver trying to fix himself, they have every right to do so. The author made it clear that although the story is based on Carver's perspective, he isn't the only person suffering. Death takes away a piece from all of us.

The entire idea of Carver slowly falling for Jesmyn kind of threw me off. I expected it. And I'm sure most of you who've read the book did too. It's sort of a cliche, if you ask me, but then again, how could he not? I think about real people dealing with these kinds of things and I realise that the possibility is there. So overall, though it's quite predictable and perhaps mainstream, it does happen in real life. And also, it isn't a huge focus of the story (at least, for me it isn't), so I did not really mind it too much. The biggest focus of the entire story is how one can fix himself up again, even when he thinks all the pieces are gone.

I thought about my friends the entire time I was reading. I thought about high school, about weekend nights spent jamming to old songs, about saying goodbye, about the fact that nothing lasts forever. Jeff Zentner managed to finally made me cry on the last chapter (you'll definitely need some tissues, if you're like me), but it was still lovely. I truly enjoyed the story, the characters I've gotten to know, the memories it brought me. Though bittersweet at times, Goodbye Days is a story that really moved me. 

“I should wait. I don't want to come off as a weirdo. But also I'm now keenly aware of how important it is to tell people what you want them to know while you can.”

-Jeff Zentner, Goodbye Days

I hope you feel the same way when you give the story a chance.

And hear me out when I say this: you should.

Till next time,

Anindya

Book Info
Title: Goodbye Days
Author: Jeff Zentner
Publisher: Andersen Press

Page: 416

Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Published: April, 2017
Get it here: 
(International)
https://www.bookdepository.com/Goodbye-Days-Jeff-Zentner/9781783445516?ref=grid-view&qid=1516431220993&sr=1-1
(Australia)
https://www.dymocks.com.au/book/goodbye-days-by-jeff-zentner-9781783445516/#.WmLnha1L3-Y
https://www.readings.com.au/products/23029579/goodbye-days