Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

Reviewed by Lori
Forgive me, Leonard Peacock: A Novel
Title: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock

Author: Matthew Quick

Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 70518

Description:  A day in the life of a suicidal teen boy saying good-bye to the four people who matter most to him.

Rubric Rating: Level 3 - Laud It

Why I Read it:  An interesting title and cover piqued my interest.

Lori's Notes:  The title seems to indicate that this book is Leonard's suicide note.  The story becomes an explanation of what happened to Leonard that leads to his decision to kill himself and he is asking the reader to forgive him.  The writing is fairly fast-paced but I did find many of the footnotes on the pages rather distracting and long.  I couldn't help but draw comparisons between this book and 13 Reasons Why. Leonard seems to be counting down the list of people in his life and the events that have led to his decision to kill Asher (a call out to the author Jay Asher of 13 Reasons Why?) and then kill himself. Not everyone in his life is bad, some have been supportive, but none have truly been his friend. From my perspective there are 13 people who influence Leonard:

  1. His Mother - absent most of the time and doesn't seem to care about her son at all.  I didn't like her one bit.  She doesn't even redeem herself at the end of the novel.
  2. His Father - who abandoned Leonard and his mother but left Leonard the gun and medal which play a poignant part of this novel.
  3. Walt his Elderly Neighbour - who is kind to Leonard and instills in him a love of Humphrey Bogart movies.  Walt is a pseudo-grandfather figure for Leonard.
  4. School VP - doesn't take the time to speak to Leonard when he needs it.
  5. Lady from Train - calls Leonard a pervert.
  6. AP English Teacher - doesn't connect with Leonard when she sees he's in distress.
  7. Baback - a student of Iranian descent who is a fantastic violin player and the closest thing Leonard has to a friend.
  8. Mrs. Shanahan - the school guidance counsellor - while she does reach out to Leonard she doesn't seem to connect to him in a meaningful way.
  9. Herr Silverman - Leonard's Holocaust History professor and the only person who seems to "see" Leonard and is the one who ends up helping him.
  10. Asher Beal - Leonard's former friend and current classmate.  Leonard is planning on killing Asher and then himself.  We learn why in the novel.
  11. Lauren - a religious girl Leonard meets at the train station.  He questions her about religion and eventually kisses her.
  12. Mrs. Beal - Asher's mother who is oblivious to her son's behaviour (much like Leonard's mother).
  13. Uncle Dan - the reason behind the change in Asher and Leonard's friendship.
One of the interesting aspects of the novel is Herr Silverman's assignment to send letters from the future.   Leonard writes letters from his future father-in-law, wife, and daughter. In this way he can imagine himself someplace better - even though the future he imagines has suffered a nuclear holocaust - he has a happy family and he's a good father.  This causes Leonard to move himself out of the "here and now"and imagine that he has a future.  I liked this story a lot better than 13 Reasons Why because in this story Leonard has a chance to change his mind.  Leonard Peacock calls out and receives some of the help he needs and as a reader you can hope that things get better for him.

Recommended Readers: Grade 9 and Up.  Excellent novel for curriculum study.

Themes: Depression, Murder/Suicide, Consequences of Actions, Parental Neglect, Realistic Fiction, Bullying, Connections, Abandonment, Abuse, Friendship, Teacher/Student Relationships.

Cross-Genre Links: 
Spoken Word Poetry: To This Day by Shane Koyczan 
Movie: Bowling for Columbine
Movie: Any film with Humphrey Bogart
Music: Invisible performed by Hunter Hayes
Music: Forgiveness by Sarah McLachlan
Help: Kids Help Phone www.kidshelpphone.ca
Help: CMHA www.cmha.ca

Post Reading Discussion Questions and Activities: 
  • Why does Leonard want to kill Asher and then himself?
  • What do you think about Leonard's mother?  Could she be blamed for Leonard's actions?  Should parents be held responsible for the actions of their children?  Why or Why Not?
  • Why does Leonard connect so well with Walt?  Watch a Humphrey Bogart film and discuss how these movies could help Leonard.  (Think about Time, Place, Setting, Events, Romance, Adventure etc).
  • Why and how does Herr Silverman help Leonard?  What restraints might there be on teachers who want to help their students?
  • Write a letter to yourself from the future.  (Where and when are you?  Who is with you?  What are you doing? What advice can you give yourself?)
  • Compare this book to Jay Asher's 13 Reasons Why.  Compare Hannah and Leonard.  How are they the same and how are they different?

Other Titles by Matthew Quick:






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