“For the most part, you don’t hold the people you love in your heart because they rescued you from drowning or pulled you from a burning house. Mostly you hold them in your heart because they save you, in a million quiet and perfect ways, from being alone.”
–Goodbye Days, Jeff Zentner
Carver Briggs believes that he is the cause of the death of his three best friends, Mars, Eli, and Blake. He was the one who sent Mars the text that he was responding to when they got into a car accident, after all. And now Mars’ father, a judge, is trying to pursue a criminal investigation against him.
Through it all, Carver does have some allies: his sister, Eli’s girlfriend, and even Blake’s grandma, who asks Carver to spend a Goodbye Day with her, honoring Blake’s memory. Soon, the other families are asking to do the same, all in the hope of finding some peace within the tragedy of loss.
This is Jeff Zentner’s second novel, and I am yet again blown away by his ability to write emotions. The Serpent King (which I read last fall, but apparently didn’t write a review for) slowly sunk its claws into you and grabbed hold, one of those books where you keep thinking about it for days after. Goodbye Days was no different. You start in the middle of Carver’s tragedy, attending the last of the three funerals for his best friends, and are taken along with Carver as he experiences his grief throughout the novel.
Zentner’s writing also realistically encapsulates anxiety and mental illness, especially with his descriptions of panic attacks. The way he introduces Carver to therapy is also a positive experience: Carver is hesitant at first, not believing that therapy will help. As they continue sessions, Carver realizes how helpful therapy can be, perhaps helping readers who might also be hesitant to see how helpful it can be as well.
Overall, I know that anytime Zentner publishes anything new, I will read it ASAP. He’s definitely one to watch.
5/5 stars