Review: History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera

Last year, I was fortunate to win a Twitter giveaway from Adam Silvera for a signed paperback of More Happy Than Not and ARC of History is All You Left Me. It was very lovely and I immediately jumped at the chance to read History, one of my most anticipated releases of 2017. So since it’s going to be published tomorrow, January 17, I’m now going to post my (non-spoilery) review!

History alternates between “Today” and “History” sections, both narrated by Griffin. “Today” begins with the funeral of Griffin’s ex-boyfriend, Theo, who drowned. Against the odds, Griffin finds that he’s able to cope with his grief by becoming friends with Theo’s second boyfriend, and the two work through the situation together. Meanwhile, the “History” sections are Griffin telling how he and Griffin began dating, broke up, and after. Unlike other books I’ve read, I was very engaged in both storylines, especially once Jackson became more of a presence. I was never like, “Oh great, got to get through another ‘today’ section again.”

I’m not an expert in YA (especially since I almost exclusively read the darker contemporaries), but I think it’s fair to generalize that most YA–contemporary or not–features first love, or at least the beginning of a relationship. I’m also often disappointed by these (especially if they are subplots in a more plot-drive, SF/F book) because the dynamics and even descriptions of the characters are often very similar, not at all representative of teenage relationships (as someone who was in one). Like Griffin, I was also in a significant, long-term relationship in high school on which college and mental health had an impact, though that is about where the similarities end. Yet, I found myself relating very deeply with Griffin’s feelings throughout the history and prsent, and that aftermath of a relationship isn’t something I’ve been able to find much in YA. Some of the conversations were painful to read (in a good way!) because of the memories they brought back, and I really related to the situations of wanting things to work out a certain way, still talking to ask for forgiveness, and wanting Theo to be happy.

Another aspect is that Griffin struggles with OCD, based on Silvera’s own. OCD is a wide spectrum of obsessions and compulsions often unique to the individual (I personally have a mild form iinvolving checking and repetitve thoughts), so it was interesting to see the similarities between Griffin and Molly from Finding Perfect, which I read recently too. Unlike the latter, it is by no means the main focus of the novel, but it is a part of Griffin’s life. I really liked how Griffin came to view his mental illness and its impact on his life and conclude that therapy is not a bad thing. Most importantly, he came to realize that he isn’t just “quirky,” as Theo began to call him, and it’s healthy to become a better self rather than holding onto the one someone loved you for despite the fact it was ultimately unhealthy. In a world where mental illness is often romanticized, this is an important lesson, and at the very least it’s difficult to reconcile who you are despite your OCD and how that impacts your relationships, especially romantic ones.