Playlist for the Dead, written by Michelle Falkoff, reviewed by Bethany Bratney

Summary: Sam and Hayden have been best friends since they were eight, but high school has been pushing them apart little by little. When Hayden insists on attending a party, an activity Sam previously has encouraged to no avail, Sam is eager to expand his horizons and social circles. But the party goes south, causing the two boys to engage in their worst fight ever before heading home for the night. When Sam goes to Hayden’s house the next morning to apologize, he finds that Hayden has committed suicide and left Sam a mysterious playlist with the note, “Listen - and you’ll understand.” As Sam deals with the death of his oldest and only friend, he listens to the playlist obsessively, waiting for a moment of clarity. Instead, he meets a mysterious and interesting girl, Astrid, whom Hayden never mentioned, at the funeral. As Sam suffers grief-riddled sleepless nights that cause hallucinations and memory lapses, Hayden’s two worst tormentors find themselves victims of bullying, causing many, including Sam himself, to wonder if Sam is taking revenge in Hayden’s name. The playlist, Astrid, and the bully attacks provide Sam with further questions that he must answer if he hopes to ever understand why Hayden took his own life. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: Playlist for the Dead had several great things going for it. It did an excellent job of capturing the complexity of this kind of loss - the questions, the guilt, the anger, the well-meaning, but often upsetting words of “comfort” expressed by others. Michelle Falkoff handles teenage friendship, high school dynamics, and complicated family issues with thoughtfulness and grace. An important and resounding motif is the idea that nearly every person in Hayden’s life https://libresbooksmi.blogspot.com considers themself responsible for his death, though each person comes to understand ultimately that Hayden is the only person responsible for his decision. The story was a quick read, interesting enough and thought-provoking with a bit of suspense connected to the mysteries of Hayden’s life. That being said, the title plot point, advertised on the book jacket, blurb on the inner flap, and introduced in the first 10 pages, is never resolved. Each chapter is even titled with the name of a song on Hayden’s playlist that Sam discusses and listens to during the chapter. But the big moment of understanding that the playlist is supposed to reveal never comes. I appreciate an attempt at irony, that sometimes we want a big aha moment only to find that life is much more nuanced, but the playlist is not handled in this careful way, which will likely leave many readers wishing for a promised revelation that is never provided. In the end, though some teen readers may quit reading a book that is not as advertised, the many strong components outweigh the weaknesses.