The Ripples: What Lies Beyond, by Danielle Aitken
My review: ★★★★
From the cover, I thought this was going to be a non-fiction book. In a way, it is – but it’s written in novel form. The book covers many serious subjects, including contributing factors in teen suicide, and many of the ways people can react when dealing with grief afterward. For someone like me – I often find non-fiction to be too dry to hold my attention – it’s the perfect way to convey information and keep it interesting. The thoughts and actions of the people in this book were very believably human, and this is a very good way to help you empathize with real people who are dealing with grief in their own ways.
In my view, this book is very good for understanding grief and healing. It also proposes a few very practical ideas for helping avoid teen suicide, though it’s unlikely to be a comprehensive list. I am uncertain that it’d be of much value to teens who are contemplating suicide – mostly because I’m not sure they’d actually read this book. Still, I think this book would be good for:
- People who are dealing with grief of their own, or who are trying to help or understand others who are dealing with grief;
- People who are interested in the causes and solutions for teen suicide;
- People who want to understand life for teens in today’s world.
It’s also interesting to contemplate how the life of a single person can impact many others around the world.
