If you could forget the worst moments of your life, would you? That's the promise offered by the Leteo Institute in this provocative debut novel from Adam Silvera that delivers a punch to the heart yet manages to end on an upbeat note.
Still reeling from the murder of his friend, Aaron's family is shattered when his father commits suicide. Aaron's downward spiral even leads to his own suicide attempt. In his near-future Bronx neighborhood, everyone suffers, though no one discusses it. Aaron's older brother and mother are distant, lost in their own grief. His girlfriend, Genevieve, is supportive but heading to art camp, and he certainly can't discuss things with his friends. Everything changes when Aaron meets Thomas.
Thomas is different. He's willing to show emotion, reluctant to fight and cares enough to let Aaron talk about his past. As their friendship unfolds, Aaron begins to realize his feelings for his new friend are more than platonic. But being gay in a tough neighborhood doesn't feel like an option to Aaron: "If I don't choose Genevieve, I'll find myself on the receiving end of a boot to the face." Unable to deny his growing feelings, Aaron begins to consider a controversial medical procedure that can alter and eliminate unwanted memories. Leteo Institute may be able to suppress his feelings for Thomas, but can they erase Aaron's sexuality?
Silvera's powerful debut shows brutal honesty, painful truths and the power of memory. Aaron's suffering is real and his reactions genuine. Those in Aaron's life show an array of responses to homosexuality--acceptance, anger, ignorance and indifference--but all resonate with remarkable realism. Stewing just below the surface is the controversial medical procedure offered by the Leteo Institute. Glimpses into the stories of others who've had the procedure add to the credibility of Aaron's dilemma. The ethical debate in the novel's fictional media and between characters will get teens thinking. If such a procedure were possible, who should be allowed to obtain it and under what circumstances? Silvera (who reviews for Shelf Awareness) explores the possibilities of a world where death, and life, can be forgotten, roles rewritten and broken hearts mended.
This is a story not just of a young man coming out, but a dramatic and heart-wrenching story of first loves, first heartbreaks, grief and the quest for happiness. --Kyla Paterno, reviewer
Shelf Talker: In this powerful debut, a young man struggling with his sexuality considers a procedure that offers to erase unwanted memories.