Book Review: Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas
This might not be your story, but it is the story of the fifteen-year-old teenager, Jeff, who tried to commit su*cide on New Year’s Eve, for some reason.
Jeff seems to have a very normal family consisting of his parents and sister. Out of nowhere, he decided that he wants to take his life, but his parents came to the rescue. This is when he was assigned to a forty-five-day program by his psychiatrist, Dr Katzrupus, along with other patients who have different stories as to why they are here. Each chapter of the book narrates a day in their journey.
For a good period of time, Jeff thought that he didn't do anything wrong; that he had no problem. He said that he did it because he, "felt like it” just to discourage Dr Katzrupus from helping him. Later on, he got to know the other teenagers in the fascility and their stories, making him think that all of them are insane.
He gradually befriends them, getting especially close to Sadie whom he thinks is cool. However, there are also Juliet, whom he thinks is mad, and Bone, who's very mysterious.
The book has lots of moving parts where Jeff comes to the realisation that there are people who love him and that he just cared too much about everything in his life which ended up draining him and his energy.
Sometimes, when you love someone but don't tell them, they end up leaving unexpectedly. Another thing that Thomas mentions in this book is how dreams are sometimes our worst enemies, writing,
The thing I love the most about the book is the mention of su*cide helplines, phone numbers, and websites at the end. Michael Thomas -who has a spectacularly humorous narration- made it clear that it is important and totally fine to ask for help when you need it. Your mental health should be your #1 priority and you should not, by any means, feel like a burden just because you need professional help or even someone to simply talk about it to.
“I know all about dreams that make you want to scream.”
However, I disliked some parts of this book, such as the strong language used to describe those who are mentally ill. The mentally ill should not fall under the “crazy” or “nutcrackers” category as mentioned in his book.
All in all, it is a light read. I give it a 4/5.