In what turned out to be a big year for the King family, 2013 saw the publication of books by Stephen, Joe, Owen and Kelly (Owen’s wife). And of the three I’ve read Save Yourself is my favourite.
According to Amazon:
Patrick Cusimano’s life can’t get much worse. His father is in jail, he works the midnight shift at a grubby convenience store, and his brother’s girlfriend, Caro, has pushed their friendship to an uncomfortable new level. On top of all that, he can’t shake the attentions of Layla Elshere, a goth teenager who befriends Patrick for reasons he doesn’t understand, and doesn’t fully trust. The temptations these two women offer are pushing Patrick to his breaking point.
With quotes from Dennis Lehane and Meg Abbot calling the novel an electrifying thriller and a novel that will leave you shaken and breathless, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Save Youself is of the same ilk of thrillers like Gone Girl. But in actuality what Braffet has written is a quiet novel, a character study, an exploration of guilt, of repressed emotions, of failure and wasted potential. If this book is a page turner it’s not because you want to know what happens next – though that’s a factor – it’s because you can’t look away as these characters slowly but inevitability destroy themselves.
On a surface read characters like Patrick and his brother Mike and his girlfriend Caro and sisters Layla and Verna might have the whiff of the stereotype about them. Patrick is the smart one who has wasted his potential. Mike is the macho brother who can’t connect with his emotions. Caro is his girlfriend, desperate for stability. Layla is a Gothy bad girl and Verna is her innocent sister. Cliches all of them.
And yet what makes this book so compelling is the layers of nuance and depth that Braffet adds. Without falling into the trap of over-expositing, we gain a deep understanding and appreciation of why these people are as broken as they are. The shocking realisation is that the tragedy that starts this novel, the hit and run of 5 year old Ryan by Patrick and Mike’s father, is only a small part of the reason why these people are so messed up. Due to upbringing and circumstance they would have reached the same fates eventually. And that’s the tragedy of the novel. Sometimes we can’t avoid the trajectory we’re on or save ourselves.
If there is a misstep in terms of characterisation, one that stands out because it lacks nuance, it’s Justinian’s little Goth club that drives the plot of the novel’s back third. Braffet’s depiction of Goth culture is the sort that’s been cobbled together from media reports and a vague memory of Goths you might have hung around with in the 90s.
Overall though this is a fantastic debut novel. Sad and tragic but somehow avoiding cliche inspite of the characters and setting.
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