Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick follows the story of Leonard Peacock, who has plans for his 18th birthday. He plans to kill Asher Beal and then commit suicide. Leonard has always been an outcast, where Asher has always been the popular one, the jock, the one that everyone likes. Something happened when they were kids that Leonard can’t forget. And he doesn’t have anyone to confide in, his father is gone and his mother seems to forget that she has a son. He goes through and gives the four people he cares the most about presents, and no one seems to pick up on the signs. No one seems to care about Leonard Peacock. And he knows about it.
I don’t really have anything but good things to say about this book. First, Matthew Quick is known for the way he handles mental illness in his novels, and I don’t think this one is any different. The way he deals with depression, and suicide, is very realistic and believable. And he writes about it beautifully. There really are some absolutely gorgeous moments in this novel, and I just couldn’t put it down. Not to mention, I think Leonard Peacock is a very complex, well-crafted character. He is relatable, and throughout the novel, you can’t help but feel for him. Not to mention the footnotes. Throughout the novel, Leonard interjects his thoughts, or history about some event or person, throughout the novel. I think this was a clever way to provide background information without really bogging down the reader too much. Overall, I think this novel was well-crafted, and definitely one that I would read again.
