It’s through these nuanced relationships that Caitlin begins to heal and move forward. Caitlin’s parents, her photography teacher, Ingrid’s not-so-secret crush, the new girl at school, and persistent classmate Taylor all play a role in Caitlin��s internal journey. One of the greatest strengths of the novel, in my opinion, lies in La Cour’s crafting of these complex dynamics, growing the connections in a manner that feels organic and fluid. I really appreciated La Cour’s integrity in writing her characters here – showing that their friendship was not perfect, and that understanding this was fundamental to Caitlin being able to grieve and forgive.Īside from Ingrid’s journal, which forms part of the novel through handwritten notes and drawings, Caitlin’s character development is facilitated through various relationships with other characters. In the process, Caitlin gains greater insight into her friendship with Ingrid, and the person Ingrid beyond Caitlin’s interactions with her. Ingrid leaves behind her journal for Caitlin to find, and through its pages Caitlin must confront the reality of Ingrid’s illness and subsequent suicide.
The story opens in Summer, in the wake of Ingrid’s suicide, and follows Caitlin through the year - coming to terms with her best friend’s death, and navigating life without her. There’s an articulate, literary style to La Cour’s writing, without sacrificing the authenticity of her teen narrator’s voice. My response as a reader largely hinges on the manner in which it is presented – and when I perceive this to be at all gratuitous, it tends to make me punchy.īut Hold Still is not only a sensitive portrayal of grief, but a beautifully written story about healing and hope. I have shared my thoughts previously on the subject of grief in fiction, and I don’t hesitate to say that I find it an extremely polarising theme. And had this book set out to explain Ingrid’s death with a list of reasons it would have been doing not only Ingrid, but others who experience mental illness, a gross injustice, invalidating the fact that depression is a disease.įortunately, Hold Still approaches the topics of mental illness and suicide with respect and honesty. It’s a deeply insightful expression of understanding, an extension of empathy, distilled into one potent line. In context, it’s one of the most powerful statements in the entire novel. Out of context, it is an ambiguous, awkwardly phrased sentence that makes my fingers itch to shove in some punctuation.
It was this simple line that made me realise that I not only liked, but respected this book. ”You might be looking for reasons but there are no reasons.”
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