My Never Ending List

It was the concept of this book that had me hooked. For it is true, Adam Strand tried to kill himself 39 times and was unsuccessful 39 times. He knows a lot about the subject and he has tried many different methods but somehow he has failed in all his attempts. Adam was ten when it started. It was a sound that started it. This sound originated within Adam, which pulled him from the car and made him leap, that first time. It is that same sound, that feeling that Adam gets that pulls him at each of his failed attempts. It’s not as if Adam is depressed or detached, Adam just doesn’t want all of the aspects of growing up. If Adam had a choice he would be an inanimate object, a nothing. He longs for the sound that urges him towards the freedom that he desires. This novel is not graphic as it describes some of Adams attempts but the author does an excellent job describing the characters and their actions. Adam is real and his friends are real as they share their lives with us at The Point the summer before senior year. As they gather by the river, alcohol is shared, stories will be told and you just never know what issues might evolve. The place is Iowa, my home state and I can relate to the slowest of the lazy summer and closest of the community as it seems everyone has an opinion of Adam. Adam throws out some interesting observations as he contemplates life and the people that live within it and it really got me thinking a few times.