I Felt A Funeral In My Brain by Will Walton

I read this novel at the suggestion of Andrew Smith, like I do with anything I see him advocating for.  And with I Felt A Funeral In My Brain, Will Walton has given the reader a novel about the pains of not only losing a loved one in death, but the pains of losing loved ones to life.  Told through both prose and poetry, this is a story that many can relate to.

Our narrator, Avery, has a lot on his plate.  And much of that is grown up stuff that a teenager shouldn't always have to deal with.  But the sad reality is that many teenager are facing the same realities as Avery on a daily basis.  Avery has an alcoholic mother who, due to her addiction, hasn't always been there for him.  At the same time, Avery is also discovering that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.  Avery's grandfather, Pal, is also struggling with this same addiction.  But this addiction soon plays a role in the death of Pal, and now Avery is tasked with trying to figure out how to deal with the death of his grandpa, the person who has been there for him since they day he was born.  This novel will explore the many ways that people often try to cope with losing someone we love, while also figuring out how to live at the same time. 

From Amazon:

How do you deal with a hole in your life?

Do you turn to poets and pop songs?

Do you dream?

Do you try on love just to see how it fits?

Do you grieve?

If you're Avery, you do all of these things. And you write it all down in an attempt to understand what's happened--and is happening--to you.

I Felt a Funeral, In My Brain is an astonishing novel about navigating death and navigating life, at a time when the only map you have is the one you can draw for yourself.