Faithful: A Novel

Faithful by Alice Hoffman is a very unusual novel (let me be brutally honest and say it is just plain odd). Shelby Richmond is seventeen years old when she is in a tragic accident that puts her best friend (of a sort) in a coma. Shelby feels survivors guilt and does everything she can to ruin her life. She quits going to high school, tries to kill herself, and then shaves off all her hair. She spends the next two years lounging in her parent’s basement watching television and getting high (let’s not forget the smoking and junk food). The one person she talks to is Ben Mink, her pot dealer. When Shelby is nineteen, Ben is heading to New York for college. He is going to become a pharmacist and asks Shelby to come with him. Shelby then wanders around New York with her bald head (black clothes too). She eventually gets a job at a pet store. Ben is good for Shelby, but she refuses to see it. Shelby is still bent on self-destruction. After the accident, Shelby started receiving postcards. Whoever is sending the postcards is trying to help her move on. To encourage her on the right path. Will Shelby ever be able to move on with her life? Can she forgive herself for surviving an accident? Faithful, as I said, was a very peculiar book. It is written like Shelby is talking. The reader is subjected to Shelby’s long, depressing narrative. Some parts of the book are compelling, but there are many pages that should have been tossed on the editing room floor (you get the metaphor). I felt that Faithful was not a finished book. It is also a very dark, negative novel. If you are a person prone to sadness or depression, please stay clear of this novel (otherwise, you will want to off yourself by page 75). I give Faithful 2 out of 5 stars (like I said there are some good parts).

Odd, messy, bleak, beautiful, hopeful. Those words all describe this story at different points. It's unlike anything else I've read recently. It's not a long story. I am a fast reader, and I usually only backtrack if I've gotten confused on who a character is or to check on something. I found myself re-reading whole paragraphs with this one for a much different reason. It took me longer than it usually would for a book this length. The way Alice Hoffman describes things just flows beautifully, even when she's describing loss and heartache. Shelby is a perfectly normal teenager before the night that changed her life. She's happy, smart, pretty, has plans for the the future, and is attached by the hip to her best friend. Her best friend is popular, beautiful, and a little more of a wildcard than she is. One night when Shelby is driving, there is an accident. She's basically unharmed, but Helene is not. She isn't dead, but she's gone. The accident leaves her in a coma that she won't wake up from. From then on, Shelby might as well just crawl into the bed with her. She's not living. She moves and breathes on her own, but her future has been altered irrevocably. She doesn't want to go on while her best friend isn't able to. Even when she finally begins to snap out of it and do something other than wallow in her parent's basement, she's still trapped by guilt. The rest of the story follows her move out of town and new relationships as she tries to find her new path in life. I went into this book without knowing much about it, and I think that led to my immersion in it... so I won't go into too many details about the plot. I did really love it though. It's an odd little book that's really moving. I don't think it's for everyone, but I'd recommend it to most. Because it's mentioned it the synopsis I do have to say: I absolutely loved the parts that had anything to do with the dogs. Will definitely make most any animal lover smile. I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and Simon & Schuster, thank you! As always, my review is honest and unbiased.

4.5 stars This is a great story for mature teens and adults in my opinion. The main character goes through bits of those stages of her life during this book. It highlights how some things and people will affect you forever and how some things and people will not remain the focus of your life. It shows how a person can change everything around and how pain and joy come and go. The lead is in a tragic accident, which stops her from moving forward. After trying to end it, she has to reset her life. She slowly heals and finds her path. Really, it’s hard to sum up this story because I can’t explain the depth of life that takes place within its words. I definitely recommend this book.