Review: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: August 13, 2013
Pages: 288
Source: For Review from Hachette Book Group Canada
Rating: 4 Stars

In addition to the P-38, there are four gifts, one for each of my friends. I want to say good-bye to them properly. I want to give them each something to remember me by. To let them know I really cared about them and I'm sorry I couldn't be more than I was—that I couldn't stick around—and that what's going to happen today isn't their fault.
Today is Leonard Peacock's birthday. It is also the day he hides a gun in his backpack. Because today is the day he will kill his former best friend, and then himself, with his grandfather's P-38 pistol.
But first he must say good-bye to the four people who matter most to him: his Humphrey Bogart-obsessed next-door neighbor, Walt; his classmate Baback, a violin virtuoso; Lauren, the Christian homeschooler he has a crush on; and Herr Silverman, who teaches the high school's class on the Holocaust. Speaking to each in turn, Leonard slowly reveals his secrets as the hours tick by and the moment of truth approaches.

In short: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick may not be an easy or pleasant read, but it’s an important one with a vital message.

Look, I read another contemporary book! Like, the fifth one I’ve read so far this year, which may not sound so impressive, but I’m at least pleased with myself because this genre isn’t my forte. It’s also of a subject matter that is much darker than I’m used to. Leonard Peacock is tired of feeling so helpless and irrelevant and so ready to be done with life that he plans to kill himself - and his ex-best friend who ruined his life - on his birthday. For him, it is the best birthday present ever.

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock was not an easy read, nor was it very pleasant to read at all. I found it at times to be disturbingly relatable, which made me a bit uncomfortable (not that I ever have or would consider the steps Leonard plans to take to off himself and his ex-best friend). But even though it wasn’t a pleasant read, I can fully acknowledge that it is absolutely an important one with a vital message.

I alternated between feeling frustrated with Leonard that he feels this is the only way out for him and feeling truly empathetic for his feelings of loneliness and alienation as a result of bullying. I’ve been there and it’s the worst, but a murder-suicide is not the way to go obviously and it was frustrating to me that he couldn’t understand that, despite having an amazing mentor. Overall though, I honestly liked him; I thought he was an interesting, intelligent, and thoughtful person and I would love to be his friend.

The only thing that I wasn’t too keen on was the lack of closure in the ending. I’m someone who likes very complete and exact endings, so I really wanted to see how the stories for each of the characters ended, but found it lacking. This shouldn’t bother people who are okay with more open endings though. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock was my first book by Matthew Quick and I was incredibly impressed with his intelligent and unique writing style, as well as his genuine characterization.

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More Than Just Magic
My Precious

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