Review: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

oh my heart strings!! this book.....

A self-absorbed mother and a father with alcohol and gambling problems, supports the argument that some people aren't suited to be parents. Leonard is an only child and doesn't have many other support people he can count on. He is an angry young man, a loner, but it wasn't always like this. His teenage years have resulted in a downward spiral that cements his desire to end his life and take someone else out too .

Leonard doesn't fit in with his peers and being different is not easy. On his birthday he hopes for some small acknowledgement that his life matters. He hopes that his mother remembers his birthday, would cook him pancakes. Small redeeming acts to compensate for parental neglect. It is a reminder that negative words and acts have an influence, and these will have more power to destroy the vulnerable and neglected.

This is a story of fear and sadness, of the conclusions scared kids make when they think they're out of options, but it's also a story of the hope of humanity, the beauty and potential of human decency. It's a story that hits close to home.


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