History Is All You Left Me

Cover for History Is All You Left Me
Griffin struggles with the death of his ex-boyfriend Theo and his relationship with Theo's new boyfriend Jackson. Told in dual timelines, History Is All You Left Me features a nuanced portrayal of OCD.

History Is All You Left Me
US | UK

From the New York Times bestselling author of More Happy Than Not comes an explosive examination of grief, mental illness, and the devastating consequences of refusing to let go of the past.

When Griffin’s first love and ex-boyfriend, Theo, dies in a drowning accident, his universe implodes. Even though Theo had moved to California for college and started seeing Jackson, Griffin never doubted Theo would come back to him when the time was right. But now, the future he’s been imagining for himself has gone far off course.

To make things worse, the only person who truly understands his heartache is Jackson. But no matter how much they open up to each other, Griffin’s downward spiral continues. He’s losing himself in his obsessive compulsions and destructive choices, and the secrets he’s been keeping are tearing him apart.

If Griffin is ever to rebuild his future, he must first confront his history, every last heartbreaking piece in the puzzle of his life.

Practical information

Author: Adam Silvera
Publisher: Soho Teen
Publication year: 2017
ISBN: 9781616956929
Age category: young adult
Disabilities portrayed: anxiety disorder, mental illness, ocd
Genre: contemporary

Accessible formats


audiobook available

Author

Adam Silvera

Adam Silvera is the New York Times bestselling author of Infinity Son, They Both Die at the End, More Happy Than Not, History Is All You Left Me, and What If It's Us with Becky Albertalli. All his novels have received multiple starred reviews. He worked in the publishing industry as a children's bookseller, community manager at a content development company, and book reviewer of children's and young adult novels. He was born and raised in New York. He lives in Los Angeles and is tall for no reason.

I have OCD and all of Griffin’s compulsions are my own. That was the easiest thing I’ve ever written. I’ve never been checked for OCD, but I know I’m not “quirky.” That was something I wanted to address. People tend to dismiss it as “you have a quirk” or associate it with what they see in mainstream media, like having to knock on a door a certain number of times. But there are times that I actually can’t function because I’m too caught up in obsessive thought.
(Entertainment Weekly, January 2017)

Related posts on Disability in Kidlit

December 30, 2016
Comments: 4

Looking Back at 2016, and Looking Ahead to 2017

We take a moment to look back at our favorite posts and reads of the year, and to look ahead to the substantial changes 2017 will bring at Disability in Kidlit.