Help! I’m Alive

by Gurjinder Basran

A powerfully emotional story of four people touched by a teen's death, award-winning author Gurjinder Basran's Help! I'm Alive is a clear-eyed exploration of meaningful connection in the modern era After video footage of Jay's death is shared on social media, a suburban Vancouver community is left to try to make sense of what happened to Jay and whether his death was an accident or a suicide. Help! I'm Alive explores the aftermath through the eyes of four people all suddenly confronted with who they have been and how they should be in the wake of such loss. Jay's former best friend, Ash, wonders what happened to their friendship and questions the relationships he has now; Winona, Jay's troubled girlfriend struggles with guilt and abandonment; Anik, Ash's older brother, is on a search for the meaning of life but hasn't left his basement apartment in months; and Pavan, Ash and Anik's mother, finds Jay's death lays bare all her personal and maternal anxieties. Unflinching but life-affirming, Help! I'm Alive is a Gen Z and Gen X coming-to-terms story about loneliness and connection, love and suffering, and the moments that bring us together and drive us apart.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Canada

240 pages, Paperback

Published May 10, 2022

About the author

Gurjinder Basran’s debut novel, Everything Was Good-bye, was the winner of Mother Tongue Publishing's “Search for the Great BC Novel Contest” in 2010 and was awarded the 2011 Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize. Gurjinder lives in British Columbia, Canada with her family.

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Help! I’m Alive by Gurjinder Basran is a most impressive book. It explores the impact that a young man’s suicide has on those left behind. Whilst this is undoubtedly a difficult subject, Basran handles it with great care, respect and empathy.

It is worth noting outright that in addition to dealing with the theme of suicide this book contains references to depression, disordered eating, self harm, some drug usage and one character’s experiences of transphobia.

Help! I’m Alive begins with the suicide of a teenager named Jay, which was filmed but then since taken down from the platforms it had been shown on. The novel is written in the third person covering four different perspectives, Ash - Jay’s once best friend, Winona - Jay’s all but girlfriend, Anik - Ash’s older brother and Pavan - Ash and Jay’s mother. In each case they are trying to continue living in the aftermath of this tragedy and figure out what this means.

I thought the multiple perspectives was a master stroke. The way Basran wove together the four different individual’s lives and their reactions to Jay’s passing was really very special. They each felt their own feelings, their own grief, confusion and each had they own journey to go on, in some cases literal as well as metaphorical. I don’t want to say to much about this as I think the story deserves to be read without too much being given away.

Whilst this book is about living in the aftermath of death, particularly suicide Basran is never preaching. She isn’t telling you how to feel or how you should react. There are no rights or wrongs here, the characters are all trying to find their own way. They are all flawed, but they are all very very human and isn’t that the point?

This is a special book. It’s subject matter is difficult, but it is handled deftly. It is a book that makes you reflect. It will not be for everyone but for those who wish to read it I don’t doubt that they’ll get a lot from it.

With thanks to Netgally and ECW Press for the advanced copy in return for my honest review.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well-written story on a difficult topic.
I liked the different POVs, from friends, siblings and parents dealing with mental health, grief, suicide and other emotions
I am not sure if this is geared to Young Adults, or to everyone, but it is very thought-provoking and emotional. It may be difficult for some.

[Kelly (miss_kellysbookishcorner) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Help! I'm Alive
Author: Gurjinder Basran
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: May 10, 2022

Thanks to ECW Press for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

T H R E E • W O R D S

Reflective • Emotional • Raw

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Help! I'm Alive follows four main characters: Ash, Jay's former best friend; Winona, Jay's troubled girlfriend; Anik, Ash's older brother; and, Pavan, Ash and Anik's mother, in the aftermath of Jay's death. We follow each character's emotional journey as the impact his death plays throughout their lives.

💭 T H O U G H T S

After reading the synopsis, Help! I'm Alive seemed like something right up my alley - emotional, deep and real - and it certainly was all of those things.

Let me start out by saying, this isn't a book for everyone, and definitely requires the right frame of mind going in. I found the unraveling of the story compelling, but I did have to set it aside several times to digest as the emotions evoked were very real. Tackling life in the aftermath of a suicide it explores themes of loneliness and connection, love and suffering, and ultimately what brings us together or tears us apart. Basran has handled the subject matter with care and empathy, and the multiple perspectives really allowed a glimpse into how death and grief impact people differently. It opened my eyes to how we connect in today's society, and a variety of questions about life and purpose.

Personally, I appreciated Anik's character evolution the most. It's the storyline I felt the most connection to, and I just thought his personal struggles combined with the impact of Jay's suicide was drawn out masterfully.

As a whole the story felt strong, yet I was disappointed in how the characters felt very surface level. I wanted to get more deeply invested in their psyches and the intensely vast emotional journey of grief. Additionally, the ending felt abrupt (possibly on purpose), which I wasn't a fan of. It it's marketed as YA, I can understand both the lack of character depth, and the abrupt ending a little more.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• young adults
• mental health advocates

⚠️ CW: grief, death, suicide, drug use, mental illness, depression, eating disorder, self-harm, transphobia

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"'Oh, how nice, to have flowers for no reason at all. If you ask me, more people should do that.'"

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a heart wrenching story of a young man named Jacob "Jay" that has committed suicide and we learn the aftermath of how his friends, family, the parents of his friends, and other people in the community come to terms with his passing. There are a lot of mental health issues packed into this book, not just suicide.

The story is very well written, but I did find the topic going on and on for the whole book, left me feeling a little raw. It was almost too much. But, there was so much to tell about how the lives of others are affected when someone chooses to end his own life. I just don't know if this is the type of book that I would want my teen to read if one of his/her friends did this. It almost feeds the narrative a little too much, but that is my personal opinion only.

Anyhow, I am now going to pick up an uplifting story for my next read. Thank you to Goodreads and the publisher for providing me with this complimentary copy. The author is a very talented writer, there is no doubt of that.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC!

Help! I'm Alive made me think a lot of Dear Evan Hansen and Thirteen Reasons Why, which are also heavyweights in the teen suicide genre. Definitely a lot of emotional weight to this one, but the author doesn't fall into the trap of trying to do too much with it. I found the characters to be intriguing and likable, and the plot definitely never felt stagnant. The ending provided just enough hope and closure without being over the top. I would definitely recommend this book.

[Lorene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Help! I’m Alive is a portrayal of a suicide of a young man and how it affects four loved ones. The suicide was shared widely on social platforms, which seems to be so common. The book was very emotional but handled well by the author. There should be a warning that the book covers several mental health issues.

Thank you to Netgalley and ECW Press for this ARC.

[Karen Parisot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jay committed suicide by jumping off a bridge. Everyone is in shock. His classmates, his girlfriend Winona, his former best friend Ash and Ash’s older brother Anik. They all cope with it in different ways. Told over the course of one hundred days it’s the story of how Jay’s death is a catalyst for them to do something and start living life again. Sharp writing and credible characters make this an engaging and worthwhile read.

[Calyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This immediately follows the far-reaching effects a teenager's suicide has on his community and exposes the cracks in our everyday life and on the internet that facilitates the romanticism of seeking out self-destruction like Jay did.

One of the most dramatic effects is that the brother of one of Jay's friends, Anik, decides to leave his basement after a self-imposed isolation after growing disenchanted with life in general, and goes for a walk to dive into his soul and make sense of himself and his surroundings.

Anik is one of the most nuanced portrayals of existentialist dread and seeking higher meaning than I have seen in a while, and his character evolution through the book was nothing short of masterful and yet unstable enough to ring with honesty. He was inconsistent and undependable, but his actions never seemed convoluted. And Rose was the second best character despite that she didn't have the same amount of time in the book as Anik, nor the detailed backstory. She was the major driving force of the second half and I wish there had been a greater amount of plot involving her.

Help!was usually too fast-paced to really develop into the searing commentary on modern life lived through screens and algorithms, and the chapters from the point of view of Pavan, Ash, and Winona were usually too short to establish as much character development and background as was needed to really sell some of the disaffectment of the teenagers and compulsive worry and regret of Pavan as she watches her sons Anik and Ash grow up and evolve into people she barely recognizes. Winona had the most potential to show the effects of an unexpected suicide of a loved one, and to show more inner conflict, but Winona was underutilized and seemed to embody the trope of the super quirky, alienated, creative, super-sharp "I'm not like other girls" character that feels more like a cliche than a person.

Something else that bothered me was the idea that almost everybody except the main characters were shallow, materialistic, and floated through life anesthetized to anything "deep." Pavan's husband Peter is a key example, but so are all of the parental figures and especially any random women and teen girls that served as backdrops in a couple of key scenes. Trish, Winona's stepmother, is portrayed as clingy and selfish; Hayley, a love interest to Ash, is seen as a simplistic bimbo, basically, and so are the other teen girls at school; a therapy group for those with eating disorders that Winona goes to is inundated with girls she sees as ultra-feminine (seen as a negative quality) and manipulative yet weak and phone-obsessed; a baby shower Pavan attends is full of women that babble and brag endlessly about nonsense, alienating and excluding Pavan, and they have a registry of designer merch for the baby. This could be seen as a symbol of larger societal problem, but it felt like lazy writing and poor character development to make all the extras so one-dimensional with no redeeming qualities.

The ending was too abrupt, but I appreciated the ending and how it ended on a higher note. Ultimately, it was a brisk read that had interesting character relationships and explored grief through the actions of each person affected by Jay's suicide in a nuanced way, particularly in the decision Anik makes to go on something of a pilgrimage seeking higher meaning.

Thanks to Netgalley and ECW Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Zev · Rating 1 out of 5]

Apparently this book shares a title with a song from the 80s, which is not addressed in the book in any meaningful way. When I checked the book out, I thought based on the title that it would be a "he talks to them from the afterlife" type book. He doesn't This book has multiple POVs, which can be awesome. Here, it isn't. This book is ninety percent narrative passages and the characters thinking, thinking, and musing while doing something slowly. It is boring upon boring. The narrative passages that take up nearly all of this book are structured so that when dialogue does happen, it feels odd. It's sparse and lackluster, and hardly does anything for characterization. Despite all their thinking, thinking, and musing, I went away from this book having no real idea of who these characters -were-. At the thirty-three percent mark of the edition I was reading, the POV switches to the dead kid's diary. The shift in tone and content was at first welcome, but grew just as repetitive as the other passages in this book. Two teens get together and I thought it would be -way- more angsty than it was. Was the author bored of writing at this point? What a letdown. Another teen gets a manic pixie dream girlfriend, Rose. She was by far the most engaging character in the story. She deserved a more interesting book. The ending was incredibly bland, the whale symbolism was poorly used, and the tattoos were just fucking stupid. The author slipped in remarks that were against tattoo guns, and pro stick-and-poke ones. Stick-and-poke ones are permanent tattoos that aren't done with tattoo guns. Tattoo guns are used overwhelmingly by professionals, in sterile environments. These professionals will sit down and talk to you in depth about the design you want and sketch it out until you're absolutely sure. Walk-ins can be a thing in some parlors. The tattoo done by a gun getting infected in this book ruffled my feathers. I can't speak to stick-and-poke tattoos, but they've always been described to me as...like...for people who are afraid of tattoos, needles, artists, or all of the above. Until I read this book, I thought it was a way for grownups to say "temporary tattoo" without sounding silly. Seems like I just heard childish descriptions by immature adults who thought they were edgy. So to those who do have stick-and-poke tattoos for their own reasons, I apologize for the opinion I had formed. This book still makes both ways of administering tattoos seem fucking stupid. It makes -tattoos- seem stupid when the author was probably going for "edgy." No, author. I don't plan to read anything else written by this author until the author learns to be interesting.

[The Reader Ignites · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a novella that I quite enjoyed. Set in Canada, it follows the impact of teenager Jay’s death on the four main characters of the book. With alternating chapters, we see how his girlfriend Winona, his friend Ash and Ash’s older brother Anik and mother Pavan deal with the loss. Set in today’s world, it is very much the contemporary novella and at 244 pages it’s a quick read.

Cleverly written, we get a glimpse of who Jay was through the eyes of the main characters, of course each has their own version of how they saw him. His death impacts the four differently-Ash, of the sadness of losing a childhood friend; of Winona, a teenage girl struggling with the death of her mother and her fathers new family; of the worry that a mother goes through for her child through Pavan and what it feels like be slowly sliding into feelings of depression through Anik. Towards the latter end we are introduced to Rose who is Trans and I thought she brought a breath of fresh air to the story as each of the characters deals in their own way with the loss.

I’m not sure if ‘Help! I’m alive’ is aimed at young adults but that’s who I would certainly recommend it to. A strong opening scene where Ash wakes up to find out the news of Jay’s death through social media clearly represents today’s world. Was the death accidental or suicidal? We don’t know but in each of the main characters, we realise that they are all dealing with their own feelings of hopelessness throughout the following months, yet the story ended on a positive note. I felt the author read very clearly the troubles of today’s youth and wrote it succinctly.

Kind thanks to ECW press and Netgalley for the advanced copy

[chasingholden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Help! I’m Alive is a book that explores the impact that a person's suicide can have on their loved ones. Jay's death is caught on camera and widely circulated, leaving those closest to him with more questions than answers. Help! I’m Alive is told in third person from the perspective of four people in alternating chapters, showing how grief impacts everyone differently and there is no set path to follow in order to heal and continue on with their own lives.

A well written quick but powerful read, Help! I'm Alive sends out a powerful message on pain, depression, anger, and the aftermath of suicide on those you leave behind.

I highly recommend this to YA fans and anyone who can mentally handle the topics touched on in this book. Your own mental health is the most important thing so please take into consideration the trigger warnings associated with this book and talk to those around you about the book and how you felt as you move along the story.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-copy for me to read and leave my honest opinion with everyone reading this. Its been a while since I've read any book that does a better job of handling such a tragedy as suicide.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its important to add that there is a huge trigger warning with this book as it deals with the effect of a teens suicide. There are four key people who we watch go through this. Ash, (Jay's best friend or well former best friend) Winona who is Jay's girlfriend, Anik who is Ash's brother and Ash and Anik's mother Pavan.

This is a very real and very raw book to read as it really tackles the aftermath of a suicide more so than any other book I've read on this subject. Its well written and you can feel the loneliss, confustion and finding your place in the world.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Rachel A · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book deals with the aftermath of the death of a young man and the ripple effect it has on those who knew him. Essentially a book about loneliness, confusion and finding where you fit in the world the writing and characterisation are both well done.
(Feat. discussion of suicide and self harm)
Copy received via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

[Emily Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel explores the aftermath of a suicide, specifically how people question and find meaning in their lives.

The alternating points of view allow for different approaches to questions about life and purpose. It's an effective exploration of emotions and how we relate to one another.

[Rhia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Overwrought and precious.

[Emily Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to ECW and GoodReads for providing the ARC of Help! I’m Alive by Gurjinder Basran, which I received with the expectation of a fair and honest review. Please note: this book and the review include discussions of suicide and self-harm.

As the book begins, Ash is scrolling through his phone, disgusted by the response to his childhood best friend’s suicide. Jay and Ash had not been tight for some time, so in addition to his grief, he feels guilty. The social media viral response to the death--which was posted and later removed--is one of gossipy shock.

Ash’s mother, Pavan, is horrified by Jay’s death, and it brings into clarity the disconnect between herself and Ash and also between her and Ash’s older brother, Anik. She has been a classic lawnmower parent, going before them to clear the path of anything that could be harmful. By removing any struggle, she has created an entirely different struggle for her sons.

Anik, though an adult, has been cloistered in the family’s basement, too wrought with anxiety and depression to leave. A musical prodigy as a child, Anik is now unsure of what to do with his life, the purpose of life in general, what the point of it all is, and has become unable to move under his trepidation.

The final point-of-view we dip into in Help! I’m Alive is Jay’s girlfriend in all but name. Although they never officially declared themselves a couple, Winona was the closest to Jay at the time of his death and feels sucked hollow by guilt, leaving behind only a bitterness that threatens to give a nasty freezer burn to anyone who attempts to get closer. Beneath all of Winona’s pain is the death of her mother, which came long before Jay, and from which she has been unable to heal.

In telling the four different stories, Basran examines not just grief, but also the omnipresence of social media and screens in our lives; how they have changed everything from dating to friendship to how we get the news. Each character gives a reflection and insight into the problematic nature of our online selves. Help! I'm Alive is still about coping with grief and the tsunami of harm caused by suicide, but it is also a commentary on the current ills of our society.

Would I teach this book? Probably not. The internal thoughts and voices of the characters seem much too similar, all of them sounding adolescent in nature and having strikingly similar thoughts about social media. It would have been good to see more difference in the characters' internal monologues. Pavan, especially, seems immature for a grown woman. Ash, Anik, and Winona do not seem out of place, but Pavan, especially for her backstory and the strength it would have taken to overcome, does not echo that life experience.

The discussion of social media, while timely and in need of examination, does not go as deeply or with as much variation between the characters as would shed new insight to what many of us already notice. Beyond a general disdain mixed with dependence on our phones, the characters do not get much beyond the problematic nature of our relationship to them. In addition, the book uses the suicide as a catalyst to get the characters moving rather than focusing on the internal turmoil caused by the suicide. While this is not necessarily a fault of the book, it complicates teaching a work with such heavy subject matter. Discussion of suicide and self-harm is absolutely necessary, but it should be discussed in the classroom setting in a way that does not bely the gravity and ultimate damage it causes to family, friends, and community.

As an educator and reader, I appreciate that Pavan, as an Indo-Canadian, notes differences in culture and experience, including her mother-in-law’s inability to pronounce her name correctly, without the book being about the conflict of being in two cultures. It would have been nice to see the same treatment of a trans character, who, while being an actual character and not a flat stereotype, still most of her story is about transphobia.

So, while the book has many merits, I would probably not choose to teach it.

[Olivia S · Rating 4 out of 5]

CW: depression, suicide

"One late night when he was bringing his dishes to the kitchen he heard his parents talking about why Jay did it, and he wanted to interject and say that he probably killed himself because he was lonely and hopeless and that's way worse than being sad. Despair is a neverland of thoughts and feelings - it's numbness, a black hole, a wasteland of apathy" (153)

"He'd send her texts in the middle of the night that said 'I'm alive,' and that somehow made her feel better. She says she can't relax if she doesn't know where they are and that they're safe. But Ash knows that they're not okay, never safe - the world is a terrible place. Climate change kills, corporate interests rule, politicians are puppets and the average person is so self-absorbed that they don't even realize it. The text they should send is 'Help, I'm alive,' but that would seriously mess her up and she's already a mess" (174)

These quotes make this book sound depressing, but even though it is about depression in many ways, I actually found it quite hopeful. Basran captures a refreshingly accurate portrait of hopelessness, burnout, and depression from different perspectives, and somehow makes it feel like we could find some comfort in the universality of this experience in modern life.

This book sounds like another 13 Reasons Why, but as the first quote captures, I think it's a much more complex and accurate portrayal of mental illness. As someone who has experienced GAD and depression myself, I felt like this book kept me company in my exhaustion with the state of the world, rather than making me dwell on it.

There are things I didn't love about the book, a few parts that seemed unnecessarily confusing given that they never really led to anything significant, and the end felt a bit rushed and unexpected. On the other hand, I also liked that it didn't try to tie up all the loose ends or give some kind of overly saccharine solution to everything.

This book suggested to me that maybe a lot of us are struggling with the same things and that life doesn't require that we overcome them, necessarily, maybe we just keep each other company in our plight and be as kind to one another as we can, because we're all up against it together.

[Emi Yoshida · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very exact representation of how self-centered and vacuous contemporary society can be in the face of tragedy. Based on how Canadian teenager Jacob McAlister's suicide impacts so many others, especially Pavan and Peter and their sons. Ash is 17 and used to be Jay's best friend back when they were in grade 5, his older brother Anik knew Jay through Ash. Ash and Anik's step-father Peter used to be their mom's divorce lawyer, and is now a success on the self-help-life-coach-writer circuit.

There is a strange disconnect between the preponderance of PC spirituality, well-being and self-care and observances like, "By the looks of her droopy tits, Ash figures (substitute teacher Mrs Kaye)'s probably a staunch feminist who burned her bra back in the day." The book is classified YA and rife with sensitive subject matter (suicide, cutting, illegal substances, anxiety, eating disorders, etc) but none of the characters handle any of these issues in a way that seems exemplary, making me feel it's gratuitous.

I didn't understand the point of having Pavan being the main character, or by far the most fleshed out character, in this story ostensibly about teenagers; even the descriptions of Pavan's sons tended to reflect on their own maternal relationships. And while I don't think it's a requirement that books about mixed race characters touch on aspects of multiculturalism, race, or discrimination, I do tend to note that there's no there there; made all the more glaring by instances like "Riley, the ringleader, the blond QB that all the girls fall over."

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trigger warnings for depression, suicide, cutting, eating disorders, and trans-phobia. This is not a light read, but you undoubtedly picked up on that from the book's description.

Help! I'm Alive deals with the repercussions of the suicide of teenager Jacob (Jay) on his community. His death was captured on film and posted to social media. The story alternates between the POVs of four people showing the impacts to each of them.

Ash was Jay's best friend since grade school. They drifted apart a bit in high school as friends often do, but each had played a major role in the other's life. Winona, a troubled art student, was Jay's girlfriend. Anik is Ash's older brother, searching for meaning in life. Pavan, the mother of Ash and Anik, finds Jay's death riddles her with anxiety, and has her wondering about her role as a mother and if she's missing signs in her own sons.

All four of these individuals find themselves cast adrift, wondering if they (or anyone) could have prevented Jay's death, and trying to find purpose in their own lives moving forward. The book also examines social media and the large, often negative role it plays in our lives, particularly in the lives of youth.

While the main characters are developed well, particularly that of Anik, I found the supporting cast to be very flat and one-dimensional. Still a worthwhile read.

My thanks to ECW Press for allowing me to access an e-ARC via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

[Mortimer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very... real. In some ways. Entirely contemporary, at the very least. I couldn't decide throughout if I liked it or not. It's kind of ambitious, in a way, I suppose... taking on the overarching subject of mental illness and trauma, and with a small notice that 1% of sales are donated to Kids Help Phone.*

Perhaps I haven't read enough modern fiction, but I've never read a book that actually sounded like real people talking. Not just in the style, diction, and whatnot, but primarily the content.
Just picking one at random by flipping through: "Curious the way people are when they watch 60 Minutes or CSI, always taking notes on how not to be a victim." Or: "As far as she's concerned she has all the symptoms of bipolar listed on WebMD and so did Jay, and so does every other kid she knows."
I don't know, it's hard to pin down, but it just seemed a lot more connected to the real world than most every other piece of writing I've ever read. There was also a minimal amount of 'writerliness', which added to that effect.

It was very interesting, peeking into the minds and hearts of various characters. Noting similarities and differences with one's self and people one knows. The world at large. The exploration of grief was very involved.

However, I didn't really like the ending. Well, the whole last sort of section, really. It seemed to veer away from the 'realness' and into a sort of symbolic magical realism, particularly with regards to the suicide-related symbol of the whale throughout the book being contrasted with an actual situation at the end of the book where they literally perform a beached whale rescue (which I'm not entirely certain was a rescue or if they just shoved it into the ocean but it died anyway). At the end, the main character, to me, appeared more broken and cold than all of the previous chapters, not healed. I'm pretty sure the author was intending to portray this as a healing experience, but it ended up coming off like it broke him.

Also, though inclusive, I'm not sure the best thing for transgender representation is to basically stick one in as a Manic Pixie Dream Girl stock character.

Overall, it was well-written, but not at all... satisfying.

P.S. It's not about a car crash, as I thought from the cover image.

*Though, I must say, a token 1% sounds pretty darn pithy. Based on the quoted book price of $17.95, that means if they sell 5500 copies, they will have donated less than $1 000 and come away with about $97 0000.

This review was written based on the Advance Reading Copy from the publisher.

[K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The impact of a teen’s death has ramifications throughout his Vancouver neighborhood. Told over the course of 100 days, it shows how a mother, a brother, a girlfriend, and a former best friend deal with what Jay left behind and also leads them to question themselves. The separation of modern society plays into our isolation and inability to sometimes connect to others.

While I found the alternating POVs effective, in giving us a glimpse of how each person saw Jay and the self-reflection that must go through for themselves, I did feel like much more exploration could have been done in giving each character time to shine and really let us get to know them, as well as those around them. How did the extended social circles of Jay’s acquaintances affect the woven tapestry of this world? We did not get a chance to really know, which is unfortunate. There was a lot of potential to make this more than it was.

All in all, the book was a good look at the compounding effects that suicide has on those left behind. Just be aware that you might be left wanting by the time the last page is read.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a former high school counselor, teen mental health stories can be hit or miss for me. I appreciate the author’s exploration on the aftermath of Jay’s death by suicide and the reality of the emotional toll that can take on loved ones. The ideas and character exploration were just getting started at the 80% mark, so I really think this is a novel that could have greatly benefited from being longer. I do think the female characters could have been written a little better, specifically Winona and Rose. While Winona definitely had depth and trauma in her past that was explored a little bit, I thought this was a great opportunity for the author to explore someone dealing with serious mental health issues and learning how to cope with them. My favorite scenes were ones with the two moms and their compassion towards each other. I also appreciated how the author used the term “guidance counselor” then later corrected it to the updated term of school counselor! The audiobook narrator was excellent, and I also thought it was a nice touch the author is donating some proceeds of the sales.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an arc.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my honest and unbiased review of the novel, “Help! I’m Alive” by Gurjinder Basran, an uncorrected copy of which was provided to me by ECW Press.

This is an incredibly sad story. Compelling, but still, somewhat depressing. The characters were well drawn, but their collective psyche did not inspire much optimism. Although, I do get it; they are all mourning, in their own ways, the death of a friend, a young man, a boy really, who has taken his own life.

I suppose being an early(ish) boomer myself, I’m experiencing a generation gap alienating me from both generations (X and Z) who are the subjects of this novel, and who are suffering a humongous generation gap of their own!

I’m not sure what else I can say about this novel except that it is well written and engaging. What I can also say is that it left me feeling kind of sorry for the next (and then next again) generations of young people who seem to be becoming more cynical, sad and needy, as they come of age, than the generation preceding them.

[Stacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

After video footage is shared online of teenage Jay’s death, Help, I’m Alive! follows 4 people impacted by his death: Winona, Jay’s more-or-less girlfriend; Ash, Jay’s former best friend; Pavan, Ash’s mom; and Anik, Ash’s older brother.

The four people chosen to follow in this story are interesting; some, you would expect, such as Winona and Ash, but Pavan and Anik didn’t have much interaction with Jay. I think the book might have been better if one of the main characters had been cut so that the remaining three could be better fleshed out. There were a lot of issues touched on in this book but not enough time to give each of them justice.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

[kayu99 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book does a good job portraying how a suicide can fracture a community, as well as the already fractured relationships within a family. The characterization and depiction of tensions between characters (whether it is between peers or parents and children) is this book's greatest strength. The last third of the story felt a little strange and I thought the ending was too abrupt. It may have been to demonstrate the lack of closure in life, but I would have liked more resolution in some characters' arcs.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just OK for me but I'm not sure I was the target audience. It's definitely for younger (mid-20s) readers. (I'm almost 50.) The lack of hope in these character's lives kind of made me sad, and the ending seemed trite to me. I was repeatedly thrown off by the characters calling their parents by their first names, but I'm guessing kids do these days? This wasn't an uplifting book, in my opinion, but certainly showed me how younger people might be struggling these days. Writing was decent, and I didn't find any obvious editing errors.

[Jiya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't think I would like this book at first. I thought it would be another slow moving, sad book, that cliches mental health topics. Except I was wrong. I really enjoyed hearing the perspectives and seeing the lives of each character. Even when their lives tended to have more, and less, interesting aspects, I will still invested in their stories- it was almost comforting. While I highly recommend this book it's very a much a 50/50 depending on the person, but I would definitely give it a try :)

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading local authors and it’s even better when the book is set in my city too! There’s such an immediate connection. HELP! I’M ALIVE by Gurjinder Basran is an intense novel set in a suburban Vancouver community and follows four people as they process a teen’s death. Super heavy subject matter that made me reflect on growing up and how important relationships can be. When the Lions Gate Bridge was mentioned it made me pause and filled me with sadness. I found so many parts in this book were very emotional as these characters deal with grief. While there were some moments that made me cringe I did appreciate the diversity of characters including a trans character. Please look up content warnings for this book. It made me cry. If you read this one feel free to message me if you need to talk.
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Thank you to ECW Press for my gifted review copy!

[Colette Brennan · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an adult I read to escape the everyday stresses. This book contains every teenage difficulty including suicide, self harm, internet suicide games, peer pressure, broken families and drugs. If as a parent, you want to understand what teenagers witness and experience around them , then this book pretty much contains it all.
Be aware though, it is emotionally draining and lowers your mood. I could not recommend it to teenagers as I feel it will impact them in a negative way.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of this novel was a very well written sample of people falling apart. However, it was getting to the point I wanted to shake every character by the shoulders and shout "snap out of it" -- I couldn't decide if it was trauma-overload or self-indulgence. But then Anik goes walkabout...Rose enters the scene...and this becomes a completely different novel, providing a satisfying catharsis to all the building tension. It threw me for a loop...but a delightful one.