Literary Merit: Great
Characterization: Good
Recommended: Yes
Level: High School

Ready to Fall follows the story of Max Friedman, a high school sophomore who has just suffered the devastating loss of his mother to cancer. Upon her death, Max imagines that his mother's tumor has taken root in his brain, infecting his brain and taking control of his thoughts. With the vicious tumor now in charge, Max begins to lose himself: his grades start slipping, he stops caring about his friends and family, and he finds himself drowning in a deep depression that nobody can seem to shake.

Hoping to help him shake his grief, Max's father enrolls him in a new, artsy private school. While there, Max meets a new host of new friends, including the quirky and mesmerizing Fish (for whom he feels an instant attraction). After being coerced by his new friends into joining the cast of the school's steampunk rendition of Hamlet, Max soon begins to come alive, realizing that it's possible to look forward to a future after harrowing loss.

Without a doubt, the best part of this book is the way it handles loss and grief, which is different for every individual. In Max's case, he becomes almost schizophrenic, feeling a tumor that isn't there and personifying it in his mind. While I couldn't relate to this (I experience personal loss very differently), I can imagine this metaphorical take on grief could be extremely healing for some readers. The "tumor" is described as a rude tenant, making a mess in Max's mind while verbally berating him at every turn. In that sense, it almost seems like the tumor represents depression, feeding catastrophic thoughts to Max while keeping him from enjoying his former life. This was cleverly done, and helped to explain difficult emotions in a way that was very easy to visualize.

I also enjoyed the comparisons to Hamlet throughout the book, as Shakespeare's play also famously deals with both grief and madness, paralleling Max's emotional journey throughout the story. As I said before, the writing can be pretentious and unrealistic (no high school students would actually speak or act like the students in this book), but it does capture the pieces of Hamlet that continue to make it a gripping story in today's society. Max is cast as the ghost of Hamlet's father in the play, which is fitting for him because he feels like a ghost himself after losing his mother.

As he and his classmates rehearse, Max slowly learns more about himself and his own grief through the character he is portraying onstage, culminating in the progression of his healing progress. I have to give Pixley a lot of credit for this creative use of classic literature and metaphor, as it made Max's grief very easy to understand. For example, Max's feelings towards his father and Lydia directly parallel Hamlet's anger towards his own mother for moving on with his uncle. It might also help someone struggling to appreciate Hamlet understand why it's so compelling as a piece of theater, which is an added bonus.

Other than the sometimes over-the-top scenarios and writing, however, the thing that irked me the most was the forced romantic sub-plot. I've seen this idea floating around in other reviews, and I have to agree that Fish (short for Felicia) is a stereotypical manic pixie dream girl. She has a tragic past, yet hides her feelings by acting quirky and bubbly. She's edgy, thoughtful, deep, and has bubblegum-pink hair. She's not a bad character, per say, but it often feels like Pixley is trying way too hard to be John Green when writing both Fish AND Monk. Even the nicknames in the book are ridiculous, as I can't think of a single high school student who would call their friends Fish or Monk. To be fair, however, I haven't been in high school for a very long time, so things might have changed since my time there.

This leads me to the romance. I hate to say it, but I really didn't feel like Fish and Max had any real chemistry. It felt like every "moment" between them was being forced for the sake of having a romance, though this novel would have worked perfectly well without one. I feel like the story would have been much stronger if it had focused solely on Max's grief and healing process, leaving out the romantic subplot entirely. What was wrong with Fish being his good friend? Friendships are just as important as any other relationship when it comes to personal healing and re-entering society, and the forced romance almost takes away from this idea.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had fun (if unrealistic) characters, a gripping plot, and a healing message for those who might have experienced deep loss in their lives. Though I was not personally moved by Max's grief, I could easily see this novel helping a high school student who has experienced a recent, devastating loss. This novel takes an interesting approach to the subject of grief and loss, and one that I found to be both refreshing and creative. I would recommend this to fans of John Green, as this felt very much like a John Green book. There are quirky characters, as well as both touching and humorous moments. The story has a positive message, and might help someone going through a similar struggle.

While I would be extremely cautious about reading this if you've lost a parent (or any close relative) to cancer, it might help you through your own grieving process if you're brave enough to try it out. I think this book could use a trigger warning, however, as anyone prone to depression who has suffered great loss could also be negatively impacted by what Max is going through in this story. This is the first book by Marcella Pixley that I've read, and I must say that (despite its flaws) it was a captivating story from beginning to end. I will definitely be on the look-out for more of her work in the future! ( )