PSEUDOCIDE
Sometimes You Have To Die To Survive
by A.K. Smith
A YA thriller tells the story of a teenager’s struggle to overcome trauma and her desire to embark on a new life.
Sunday Foster is a quiet, bookish 16-year old who has a boyfriend named Jack and a crush on Tyler, an older co-worker at the courthouse where she has a part-time job. Her sometimes-abusive parents, whom she thinks of only as “HE” and “SHE,” mostly ignore her; her brother died shortly before she was born. She has a plan to get into a good college, live with her boyfriend, and move on with her life, but her plans change after Tyler sexually assaults her. Afterward, she fears that she’s pregnant, and she enlists her shy, frequently bullied neighbor, Amir, to help her carry out a new plan of “pseudocide”: faking her death, adopting an entirely new identity, and leaving everything behind her. She plans to enact the scheme the week after the big school trip, but then a catastrophe occurs that speeds up her timeline. Under her new name, she makes her way to Las Vegas and finds out that a person she thought was her friend may have a dark side. Throughout this novel, Smith presents her protagonist with empathy; Sunday makes mistakes that are relatable and realistic, and her struggles as she finds her way in Vegas effectively get across how dangerous and difficult it can be to go it alone when one is young. Although the novel tackles such heavy issues as gun violence and sexual assault, the author treats the topics with the gravitas that they deserve, showing respect for her audience. This tense tale will keep readers on edge until its surprising finale.
A dark story filled with unexpected twists and turns and featuring a strong young protagonist.