Cooper Bartholomew is Dead (Rebecca James, A&U)

Libby wakes one morning to news that makes her sick to her stomach. Cooper—loving, funny, thoughtful, passionate, full of hope for the future—is dead. Libby is told that Cooper killed himself, but she knows that this is not possible. As the story unfolds we discover that Libby didn’t know as much about Cooper as she thought she did. Cooper Bartholomew is Dead is part thriller, part love story. In the ‘then’ narrative, there are a lot of sweet moments as Cooper falls completely in love with Libby. Although the seeds of later tensions are being planted, it would be easy to believe that their relationship will work out. The ‘now’ narrative is delivered in short, tantalising bites, revealing what really happened the night of Cooper’s death. The narration cycles through four of the people who knew Cooper best: Libby, ex-girlfriend Claire, best friend Sebastian and Cooper himself. Initially, the characters seem like high school stereotypes, but as the story develops it moves into the real, complex territory of young adults leaving the safety net of high school behind them. This is a complex, heartbreaking and at times confronting book from Rebecca James, author of Beautiful Malace. 

Bec Kavanagh is a Melbourne-based writer, reviewer and education consultant