Fall for Anything

From the Publisher

"An unusual, bold effort that deserves attention."—Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review) "If you haven’t yet climbed aboard the Summers bandwagon, now is the time. This is a fearless and wonderfully executed young adult novel."—RT Book Reviews "Expertly crafted novel about the quest for peace after a death in the family."—School Library Journal "Both hauntingly written and compulsively readable."—Booklist (Starred Review)

VOYA - Nancy Pierce

Seventeen-year-old Eddie Reeves has lost her beloved father, who committed suicide. Her mother is lost to grief and loneliness, desperately missing her husband. Now Eddie fears she will lose her best friend, Milo, since his ex-girlfriend Missy is back in town for the summer. And to complicate Eddie's misery, she has lost some of her independence, now that her mom's friend Beth is living with them and tries to tell her what to do. Amid all of this loss, Eddie is confused about exactly why her father took his life. She desperately wants to solve this mystery, and when 21-year-old Culler Evans comes into her life, Eddie thinks he might be able to help find the answer. Culler idolized Eddie's father, and was his photography student. Maybe he can help put together clues left behind. Maybe he can replace Milo in Eddie's life. Maybe together they can find a way for Eddie to move on and get her life back. Or not. Fall for Anything brings a combination of family drama, parent loss, mystery, and teen romance to the table. Summers does an excellent job of creating an atmosphere of grief, loss, and hopelessness to the page. What is perhaps less convincing are the romantic elements (does the author feel they are required?), and the pursuit of the answer to why Eddie's father committed suicide. Still, the author is brave enough to create a world where there are no clear or easy answers. Reviewer: Nancy Pierce

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—Seventeen-year-old Eddie Reeves's father, a once-famous photographer, commits suicide by jumping off the roof of an abandoned warehouse. Seth Reeves left a note saying only that he loved Eddie and her mother, Robyn, but that he had to leave. As Eddie grapples with the question of why, she finds comfort in her best friend, Milo, until his ex-girlfriend moves back to town and drives a wedge between them. Then Eddie meets Culler Evans, her father's student and protégé, with whom she immediately feels a romantic connection as well as a shared sense of loss. Culler discovers that some photographs Seth left in his studio are numbered, like a map, with a fragmented message at each location. Ignoring Milo's disapproval, Eddie and Culler set out on a road trip to each building to put the puzzle together. This novel convincingly captures the feelings of confusion, isolation, and anger that accompany losing a loved one to suicide, along with the implicit desire to hold the victim accountable for the sadness he's caused. Eddie's tendency to use strong language and make hyperbolic statements reflects her age and the intensity of the tragedy she's experienced. Beth, Robyn's bossy and Botoxed best friend, is the only weak character in this otherwise expertly crafted novel about the quest for peace after a death in the family. Jandy Nelson's The Sky Is Everywhere (Dial, 2010) is a similar story of a grieving girl pulled between two young men as she struggles to find peace and move on.—Amy Pickett, Ridley High School, Folsom, PA

Kirkus Reviews

A once-famous photographer has committed suicide, and 17-year-old Eddie, his only daughter, desperately wants to know why. In this episodic, almost stream-of-consciousness story, she also will cope with a lifelong friend who may become a boyfriend—or perhaps her father's student will become her savior. Adding to her pain is Eddie's nearly comatose mother, whose obnoxious friend has moved in, determined to put things right. However, the plot, although strong enough to keep the pages turning, does not dominate. Instead, the novel examines a wounded personality. Summers unzips Eddie's skin, crawls inside and stays there. Her prose inhabits Eddie's character so convincingly that readers may suspect the book may stem from experience. One can't deny the author's courage in making risky artistic choices. She offers not a cerebral understanding but the raw experience of Eddie's pain and uncertainty. Readers may find the book fascinating or mesmerizingly melancholy depending on their moods, but there is no denying that Summers has brought Eddie's intense experience into the world of her readers. An unusual, bold effort that deserves attention. (Fiction. 14 & up)