How to Make Friends with the Dark

 


How to Make Friends with the Dark

By Kathleen Glasgow

Published April 9, 2019

432 pages



Summary: Tiger and her mother live an odd life. Tiger wears hand-me-downs and thrift store finds and her eclectic mother is always trying to make their on-the-edge-of-poverty life seem like an adventure. Tiger mostly doesn’t mind; after all, it has always been her and mom against the world.

After a huge fight causes a rift in the relationship, Tiger storms off, content to spend the evening falling for a boy and feeling the ecstasy of a perfect first kiss. And then a phone call comes, bringing the darkness and changing Tiger’s life forever.

A brain aneurysm. Here one second, gone the next. And now Tiger is alone in the darkness.

After her mother dies, she is shuffled around between foster homes, some significantly worse than others, and Tiger fades further into the darkness, letting it surround her, consume her. Her grief becomes a tangible thing, pushing her down, smothering her, spinning her in all directions until she can’t remember, and no longer cares, which way is up.

Suddenly, Tiger has a sister. A half-sister. Barely old enough to drink and certainly not old enough to be responsible for Tiger, but she’s better than the foster homes and Tiger finds herself trying to have a new family, trying to feel something other than darkness.

Slowly, she works towards acceptance as she finds solace in classmates, new friends, and her new sister. Tiger’s journey through the darkness shows the profound effect grief can have and why it is important to keep going, even when the darkness is splitting you apart.

Genre Elements-Young Adult Fiction

Teenage protagonist-Tiger Tolliver is 17 as she experiences the events of the story

Emotional Weight-The story is instilled with the emotions of its teenage protagonist, complex and tumultuous and not quite mature

Realistic-The story is a very dark and realistic exploration of how grief affects young adults

Read-Alikes

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

Find Layla by Meg Elison

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Comments

  1. Tess B.April 8, 2021 at 12:18 PM

    This book sounds incredibly sad. Did you enjoy reading the book overall, or was it difficult to get through considering the grief elements within it? Although the book is YA fiction, it seems like it might be really heavy to get through.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. jennifer humphreyApril 8, 2021 at 5:23 PM

      So it is definitely sad, I was full on crying while reading it, but I wholeheartedly recommend it. There is just enough levity to make it not completely depressing, with an relatively uplifting ending and just such a real, raw portrayal of grief. I loved it; it felt cathartic to read and even though I definitely garnered some odd looks from my boyfriend, who doesn't understand how books can make you cry, I wish I could read it for the first time again.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousApril 9, 2021 at 6:36 PM

    Hello, Jennifer.

    This book does sound pretty sad. I'll be honest: the title sounded like a horror book to me. Is it a poetic-theme of the book, or is there more to it?
    May I offer some advice? It's a little hard to read this with the way it's been set up. Maybe put some space between the summary and the rest of the book's qualities. Also, maybe bolden the books characteristics, like Genre-Elements or Emotional Weight. It'll be much easier for readers to focus.

    Keep up the good work.
    James

    ReplyDelete
  3. Erin CataldiApril 14, 2021 at 4:52 PM

    Oof - this sounds really good but really depressing - something that you'd have to prepare yourself before reading. Great write up and full points!

    ReplyDelete

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