Welcome to my stop on the Save Me, Kurt Cobain tour! After you read my thoughts, make sure you enter the fabulous giveaway and visit the other stops on the tour!
I received this galley in consideration for an honest review.
Save Me, Kurt Cobain by Jenny ManzerPublished by Random House on March 8, 1016
Genres: Young Adult
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What if you discovered that Kurt Cobain is not only alive, but might be your real father? This nuanced and bittersweet YA debut will keep you guessing until the end.
Nico Cavan has been adrift since her mother vanished when she was four—maternal abandonment isn't exactly something you can just get over. Staying invisible at school is how she copes—that and listening to alt music and summoning spirits on the Ouija board with her best friend and co-conspirator in sarcasm, Obe. But when a chance discovery opens a window onto her mom's wild past, it sparks an idea in her brain that takes hold and won't let go.
On a ferry departing Seattle, Nico encounters a slight blond guy with piercing blue eyes wearing a hooded jacket. Something in her heart tells her that this feeling she has might actually be the truth, so she follows him to a remote cabin in the Pacific Northwest. When she is stranded there by a winter storm, fear and darkness collide, and the only one who can save Nico might just be herself.
What drew me to this story, initially, was a sense of nostalgia. I was in high school and early college during grunge’s heyday and I was excited to read about a teen in 2016 who loves this music. Each chapter is named after a Nirvana song and the main character, Nico, finds comfort in the music that her mother loved. Nico’s mom disappeared when Nico was four, and even though her father rarely speaks of her, her mother’s presence weighs heavily on Nico every day. As a result of a growing desperation and sense that there must be more to her story, she follows someone she thinks might have answers and embarks on a bizarre and cathartic quest to find out why; why her mother left her and why she can’t seem to let go. I loved the way her mom’s music gave her courage and was a security blanket, in many ways. It was a touchstone that resonated throughout the story. Her life in Victoria pretty much consists of flying under the radar as much as possible. She lives a small life, without really thinking abut whether college is really a possibility or if she can ever leave her home town. Slowly, though, her drive to find answers and what seems to be a longing for a better sense of who she is, starts to shape her character into someone new. I loved that transformation. The way Nico changes really made the book something special to read.
I also loved the unexpected turns that Save Me, Kurt Cobain took. It was part emotional journey, part mystery and they were balanced so deftly that I was enchanted from beginning to end. The truth about Kurt Cobain, both real and in Nico’s mind, also resonated with her sadness about her mother and her inability to move on. In a way, his life was a sort of treasure map to Nico, and the way facts about Cobain’s life were woven into the story really made him feel like a character, as well. Save Me, Kurt Cobain was a fabulous story. I went in thinking I would be amused by the references, but found myself 100% invested in Nico’s questions and their answers. I am so excited to read more from this author!
Giveaway:
3 Finished Copies of SAVE ME, KURT COBAIN (US & Canada Only)
I already had this on my TBR but now I’m very excited to read it. I am intrigued by the mystery and by the possibility that KC might still be alive.
I’ve been seeing this book all over Goodreads, but I didn’t know what it was about until now. I love the title, and the characters sound pretty unique.
Great review–I love that each chapter is named after a song and your comparison of Kurt Cobain’s life to a treasure map for Nico. This really sounds unique.
Can’t wait to read this book! Sounds awesome!
Thanks so much for a great giveaway!
Nico sounds like an interesting main character.
I was older in the 90’s but we were living in Seattle at the time and kept hearing about all these up and coming bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, Sound Garden… I wish I had been smart enough to go see them then lol
I’ll have to add this one to my TBR pile.
Karen @For What It’s Worth