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

You’re still alive in alternate universes, Theo, but I live in the real world where this morning you’re having an open casket funeral. I know you’re out there, listening. And you should know I’m really pissed because you swore you would never die and yet here we are. It hurts even more because this isn’t the first promise you’ve broken.

Griffin has lost his first love in a drowning accident. Theo was his best friend, his ex-boyfriend and the one he believed he would end up with. Now, reeling from grief and worsening OCD, Griffin turns to an unexpected person for help. Theo’s new boyfriend. But as their relationship becomes increasingly complicated, dangerous truths begin to surface. Griffin must make a choice: confront the past, or miss out on the future…

Practical information

Author: Adam Silvera
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication year: 2017
ISBN: 9781471146183
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.