The 39 Deaths of Adam Strand
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4.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
Adam Strand isn’t depressed. He’s just bored. Disaffected. So he kills himself—39 times. No matter the method, Adam can’t seem to stay dead; he awakes after each suicide alive and physically unharmed, more determined to succeed and undeterred by others’ concerns. But when his self-contained, self-absorbed path is diverted, Adam is struck by the reality that life is an ever-expanding web of impact and forged connections, and that nothing—not even death—can sever those bonds.
In this hyper-edgy coming-of-age story told in stark, arresting prose, Alex Award-winning author Gregory Galloway finds hope and understanding in the blackest humor.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this introspective novel from adult author Galloway (As Simple as Snow), a teenager's longing for death is thwarted by his inability to die. Adam Strand is a suicidal 17-year-old who returns from the dead after every attempt to take his own life, whether from jumping from a bridge, drowning, taking poison, or hanging. His friends are tolerant, his family frustrated, his neighbors annoyed, and his therapist useless. Over a summer, Adam contemplates his role in the world, confronts his lack of motivation, hangs out with his friends, and tries to connect to others. It's a bleak, provocative, and almost nihilistic story in which very little actually happens. The narrative has a tendency to backtrack, meander, or come to a halt there's an inertia to the novel that mirrors Adam's disinterest in existence, though he gains an appreciation of life in a resolution that's neat but not overly rosy. Readers may see something of themselves in Adam's confusion and dark impulses, in which case his message is clear: "I am moving forward, inch by inch some days." Ages 14 up.
Customer Reviews
Taboo thoughts
Human tragedy visits us in many ways, there are a multitude of explorations of these tragedies and how they affect those involved. Mr. Galloway finds a way to personify one of the most taboo of these tragic events. Adam Strand is unsure of his future and through his self discover he uncovers the simplicity of life and it's wonder that keeps us all sticking around to see what is behind the next door.