Chapter by Chapter

I was really interested in reading Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by author Matthew Quick the moment I finished reading the description of the novel. It sounded like a novel that would stir up emotion in me, thrill me and keep me on the edge of my seat. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacockdid all of those things and then some. I absolutely adored and loved this read so much I can’t even put my thoughts or emotions into words.

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock takes place on the main character Leonard Peacock’s birthday, it’s a very special day for Leonard because he is going to kill his ex-best friend with his grandfather’s P-38 pistol and then kill himself. However Leonard first plans on going to see the people who matter to him most and give them a goodbye present so that when they learn about the crime he plans to commit after he commits it they won’t have a bad final memory of him.

Leonard goes to visit the four people who mattered to him most: His neighbor Walt, one of his musically inclined classmates, the girl he has a crush on and his teacher Herr Silverman. As Leonard goes to visit each of these people (and times moves toward the moment when he will pull of his murder-suicide) Leonard begins to give away the plan he is will put into action and the events that led him to make this decision.

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock was a novel that I fell in love with right from the start. It was a dark and haunting read that broke my heart, took me on an emotional roller coaster and had me hoping that Leonard would change his fate before it would become too late. The writing style stirred up far too many emotions in me, the footnotes used in the novel as well as Leonard’s dark and depressing thoughts left me both sad and angry. There were so many moments where I was either brought to tears or began crying from Quick’s writing style that made Leonard come alive and become more than just a character.

The characters introduced in Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock are ones that will connect with readers in some way or form. The main character Leonard is both the good guy and the bad guy and once you discover just what his ex-best friend has done you have to wonder if what Leonard’s doing (despite how totally dark and wrong it is) can be justified. There’s a variety of characters from a dedicated Christian girl to his neighbor and friend Walt who is obsessed with Humphrey Bogart movies and to himself. Despite seeing each character for only a small amount of time I felt that a relationship is established with each character that made the goodbyes very heartfelt.

When reading Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock I personally think that a lot of readers will find Leonard’s dark thoughts and dark family history to be intriguing. It’s so seldom that I get to read about a character who is messed up and is actually very smart and applies those smarts in the plot. Leonard is a unique character who pulled me into the plot and left me reading and interested until the very last page. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock is a novel that will keep you hooked. I never wanted to put it down.

I’d recommend Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock to readers who are looking for an addictive and dark read. Readers who are fans of plots that are thrilling and emotional will eat this read right up. Anybody who is looking for a tear jerker needs to check out Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock as soon as possible.