Review: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock

By Matthew Quick
Available now from Little, Brown BFYR (Hachette)
Review copy

FORGIVE ME, LEONARD PEACOCK is brilliant and you should read it.  The end.

Oh, that's not enough for you?

First off, this book is by Matthew Quick, author of THE SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, which was made into a movie that won several awards.  He's also the author of the acclaimed, loved, but tragically underrated SORTA LIKE A ROCKSTAR and  BOY 21.  Stop the madness and make FORGIVE ME, LEONARD PEACOCK a bestseller.

Second, this book has a great premise.  The eponymous Leonard Peacock plans deliver packages to the four most important people in his life and then kill his classmate Asher and himself.  Don't you want to know why he wants to do that?  Don't you want to know whether he will?  If you don't, you will once people start sending Leonard letters from an apocalyptic future.

Third, this book is hilarious.  It's the funniest book about mental illness and suicide and attempted murder and abuse you'll read all year.

Fourth, this book has beautiful language.  I was going to quote some, but none of my favorite quotes are as PG as I like to keep this blog.  (I didn't even notice when I was reading!)  

I want more.  That's the problem with books as good as FORGIVE ME, LEONARD PEACOCK.  They leave you wanting, afraid the next book won't be as wonderful, as true.  I mean, sure Quick has a backlist, and it's a great backlist, but Leonard Peacock isn't in those books.  He's in this one.  And you have to read it to find out if he survives.