Forman, Gayle. Leave Me. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2016.

Thank you, Gayle Forman for this adult novel. I have read and loved all of her YA work; her skills transcend genre. Maribeth’s story is a haunting one. After a heart attack that she doesn't even realize she is having, she finds her life turned upside down. She finds the the pressures of marriage, family, and work leave her unable to physically recover. So much so that she leaves her husband and her preschool twins and moves across the country, it seems to find herself.

I found myself having to suspend my disbelief at times. The idea of completely removing oneself from one's family so completely seems impossible. Her lack of overt concern about her health and her finances also seemed a stretch. The convenience of welcoming and helpful young neighbors and a doctor perfectly willing to take cash seem unlikely as well, but therein lies much of the novel's success, perhaps. Maribeth does what many women can only ponder. When she wonders how on earth she got where she is, she takes control and does her level best to figure things out.

It would be easy to brand her selfish and dislike Maribeth, but Forman somehow makes her work. Her time spent writing her children the letters that she will never mail is a help. Her down to earth friendships with the young kids in her building helps. And perhaps, it is that so many of her questions and doubts ring true to this “woman of a certain age.” In any case I found myself rooting for her in her quest even while wondering how things could possibly resolve. And again, with no spoilers, I had to suspend my disbelief just a bit at the resolution, but I think most readers will be happy to do so.

I do love summer and the opportunity to read more adult type books. And I surely love when an author I enjoy so much with my students writes a book that resonate so well with me. I don’t just love classifying books, and I appreciate Forman for resisting being settled in one place!