Matthew Quick / Little, Brown
Matthew Quick / Little, Brown While Matthew Quick’s Silver Linings Playbook is rightfully applauded for giving an accurate and compassionate insight into life with bipolar, Leonard Peacock offers a gripping and disturbing look at what can go wrong when physical and emotional abuse become unbearable. While at times incredibly touching, for its majority the reader is fraught with anguish, as the unpredictability of the title character makes the journey a harrowing experience. We follow Leonard Peacock’s stream of consciousness on his 18th birthday – a day he has also reserved for a meticulously planned murder-suicide. But first, Peacock must deliver four presents to the people in his life he considers to be the most significant. This is where Quick shines, delivering clues to Peacock’s motivations by explaining the characters’ relationships. Important, yet terrifying in its plausibility, Forgive Me Leonard Peacock considers teenage issues in a very adult context, making it difficult to digest and forget.
