It's in the inexplicable sadness of moving on. It's in the little ways he reveals that past relationships are not quite over, not really. The author manages to rip your heart out without seeming like he ever tries to. The small, simple observations on people and relationships cut really deep for me.
Theo was the group's anchor and they all find themselves confused and helpless without him - Griffin is especially torn between his dislike for Jackson and the feeling that he can relate to him most of all. We soon learn that there is a complex web of relationships at play here, as we are introduced to Theo's new boyfriend from California, Jackson, and the third member of their friendship group, Wade.
The story (or "history) is revealed by Griffin as he comes to term with the death of his best friend and first love, Theo. The book is driven by its characters - Griffin, Theo, Wade and Jackson - jumping back and forth between the loss of Theo in the present and their intertwining histories. Perhaps Silvera is just fantastic at putting himself into other people's minds, but I got the sense that this was a very personal story, told from someone who knows a lot about love and loss. History Is All You Left Me is a deeply sad book, perfectly in tune with human nature and yet never manipulative as it explores love, friendship and grief between four boys. I stayed up late last night to finish this book and, I confess, I had chills down my spine as I came to the final page. (Jan.People are complicated puzzles, always trying to piece together a complete picture, but sometimes we get it wrong and sometimes we’re left unfinished. Griffin has much to puzzle out as he tries to move forward, but he does so with the reassurance that real love exists. The tragedy of Theo’s death is also leavened by the healthy families Griffin has to lean on: the boys come out to their parents, together, at a birthday party for Theo’s younger sister, and their declaration of love is met with celebration. Though Griffin’s vision is clouded by grief, passion, and guilt, readers will have no trouble understanding how unmoored Griffin has become: Silvera ( More Happy Than Not) excels at capturing the confusion and pain he feels. Griffin processes Theo’s death by recounting their relationship and the aftermath of the drowning in alternating chapters titled “History” and “Today,” telling most of the story in direct address to his lost love. From Griffin Jennings’s perspective, he loses his first love Theo three times: first when Theo heads to college in California while Griffin finishes senior year at their Manhattan high school then when Theo finds new love with a fellow college student and, finally, when Theo drowns in the Pacific.
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