Children's booksChildren's books

Playlist for the Dead by Michelle Falkoff - review

'Very well written though near the end the plot gets a bit boring and loses its focus'

Michelle Falkoff, Playlist for the Dead

Playlist for the Dead by Michelle Falkoff is about a boy named Sam. His best and only, friend Hayden has just committed suicide, and all he has left, as a suicide note, is a playlist, with 27 songs on it. As he tries to decipher the playlist he learns more and more about Hayden's life, and the people in it. He realises that even though Hayden was his only friend Hayden had a life he didn't share, and when he opens up to these people, he starts to discover more and more about why Hayden killed himself. He meets Astrid along his journey, who seams a bit wild at first, but as you get to know her better you realise she is more than she seems.

I enjoyed this book. It is very well written though near the end the plot gets a bit boring and loses its focus. It was good to watch Sam grow and discover how he overcomes Hayden's death, even with all the pressures put on him. I really liked the character Astrid at the start, with her wild dress sense and creative hair, and I would like to have learnt more about her motives. I think the author should have also included more information about other characters such as her sister and her boyfriend, as they both sounded quite interesting. It would have been better if she spent less time developing Sam's story without really learning anything, and learnt more about the characters mentioned above as a lot of the book was spent uncovering things but taking ages to get there.

I think she handled the topic of suicide well, however I don't think she showed Sam's grief enough as she didn't really explain what happened straight after Hayden's death, and she really just skipped over it, and it almost felt that Sam wasn't sad about it at all. Overall I would give it 2.5/5, as it was wasn't the best way you could cover the topic. Though the book has a very nice cover.
Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop.

Want to tell the world about a book you've read? Join the site and send us your review!

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEoKyaqpSerq96wqikaJuYnrmlvsSnqmaan6S4tHnSoqueZ2JlfnZ7wKmpaGlmZL%2BmwsiermalmZi1prjLnmSfmZygvKeyjKmjmrGcnsC1ecWoqWasmJp6pbHAnQ%3D%3D