Arriving at the George Washington Bridge at the same time with the intention of jumping, two suicidal teens, strangers to each other, reevaluate the reasons behind their despair and consider outcomes where either, both or neither of them go through with it. Simultaneous eBook. - (Baker & Taylor)

Aaron and Tillie do not know each other, but they both feel suicidal and arrive at the George Washington Bridge at the same time, intending to jump. Includes resources about suicide prevention and suicide prevention for LGBTQIA+ youth. - (Baker & Taylor)

Two teenagers, strangers to each other, have decided to jump from the same bridge at the same time. But what results is far from straightforward in this absorbing, honest lifesaver from acclaimed author Bill Konigsberg.

Aaron and Tillie don't know each other, but they are both feeling suicidal, and arrive at the George Washington Bridge at the same time, intending to jump. Aaron is a gay misfit struggling with depression and loneliness. Tillie isn't sure what her problem is -- only that she will never be good enough.

On the bridge, there are four things that could happen:

Aaron jumps and Tillie doesn't.

Tillie jumps and Aaron doesn't.

They both jump.

Neither of them jumps.

Or maybe all four things happen, in this astonishing and insightful novel from Bill Konigsberg.

Bill Konigsberg is the author of six books for young adults, which have won awards including the Stonewall Book Award, the Sid Fleischman Award for Humor, and the Lambda Literary Award. Bill lives with his husband, Chuck, and their two Labradoodles, Mabel and Buford. Please visit him online at billkonigsberg.com and @billkonigsberg. - (Scholastic)

Booklist Reviews

*Starred Review* Two teens—Tillie and Aaron—are standing on the George Washington Bridge, ready to jump and end it all. Tillie is adopted, a chubby Korean in a slim white family, feeling like she just isn't good enough at anything to truly matter. Aaron is Caucasian, gay, depressed, and lonely, living with his father while his mother pursues her own dreams far away. When the two see each other on the bridge, four possibilities unfold before them: Either Aaron or Tillie jumps, leaving the other behind; they both jump; neither of them jumps. This thought-provoking examination of depression, loneliness, suicide, family, friendship, and hope is both uplifting and terrifying. Aaron's journey from depression to mania can be hard to read at times, as can the events that lead Tillie to the bridge, but at the same time, none of what is included is done so for sensationalism or shock value. With each narrative thread focusing on Aaron or Tillie, along with brief vignettes highlighting the lives of those they are close to, Konigsberg (The Music of What Happens, 2019) constructs an intricate tale brimming with questions and possibilities. Messy, complicated, and sometimes alarmingly candid, this is a poignant, sincere look at the many ways mental illness affects young people, as well as those they know and love. Grades 8-12. Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.

Horn Book Guide Reviews

Aaron Boroff and Tillie Stanley are both suffering from depression, but different life experiences lead them to the George Washington Bridge at the same moment for their respective suicide attempts. Sequentially, four distinct possibilities play out: Tillie jumps, Aaron doesn't; Aaron jumps, Tillie doesn't; they both jump; neither jumps. Aaron is an introspective loner, a skinny gay kid who's interested in writing and performing music. He's plagued by self-doubt, however, exacerbated by severe depression. Tillie, adopted from Korea, struggles to earn the love of her emotionally unavailable father and feels like her family's plan B, supplanted by the biological daughter they had years later. The intriguing narrative structure allows Konigsberg to develop Aaron and Tillie with nuance and depth, showing how their absence from this world would affect their families and peers immediately and far into the future. In the last alternative narrative strand, Aaron and Tillie become friends and support each other in a way that their parents, friends, and therapists could not. Mental health and suicide ideation are difficult topics, and Konigsberg handles them with great skill, care, and sensitivity. An author's note addresses depression and suicide, particularly among LGBTQIA+ youth, and provides resources. Copyright 2021 Horn Book Guide Reviews.

Horn Book Magazine Reviews

Aaron Boroff and Tillie Stanley are both suffering from depression, but different life experiences lead them to the George Washington Bridge at the same moment for their respective suicide attempts. Sequentially, four distinct possibilities play out: Tillie jumps, Aaron doesn't; Aaron jumps, Tillie doesn't; they both jump; neither jumps. Aaron is an introspective loner, a skinny gay kid who's interested in writing and performing music. He's plagued by self-doubt, however, exacerbated by severe depression. Tillie, adopted from Korea, struggles to earn the love of her emotionally unavailable father and feels like her family's "plan B," supplanted by the biological daughter they had years later. The intriguing narrative structure allows Konigsberg to develop Aaron and Tillie with nuance and depth, showing how their absence from this world would affect their families and peers immediately and far into the future. In the last alternative narrative strand, Aaron and Tillie become friends and support each other in a way that their parents, friends, and therapists could not. Mental health and suicide ideation are difficult topics, and Konigsberg handles them with great skill, care, and sensitivity. An author's note addresses depression and suicide, particularly among LGBTQIA+ youth, and provides resources. Jonathan Hunt November/December 2020 p.103 Copyright 2020 Horn Book Magazine Reviews.

Publishers Weekly Reviews

Konigsberg (The Music of What Happens), a suicide survivor aiming for "a complete discussion of suicide," per an author's note, tells this iterative story of 17-year-olds crossing paths on the George Washington Bridge, where both are considering jumping. Depressed Aaron Boroff, who is white, dreams of music fame and having a boyfriend; he is "deeply sick of himself and his stupid brain" and can't imagine that changing. Korean-born adoptee Tillie Stanley's convinced that she's weak and unlovable; she's been ghosted by the guy she was seeing, bullied by an ex-friend, and her father's basically pretending she doesn't exist. Alternatingly following Aaron, Tillie, and the people affected by their deaths—including those who never got to know them—the story is told several ways: with each, both, and neither jumping. Ending on a hopeful note, the book depicts Aaron and Tillie bonding and trying to keep each other going. Konigsberg's approach underscores depression's coercive power and the gifts of human connection, and he sharpens a universal story by populating it with distinctly individual characters. An author's note and resources for people experiencing suicidal ideation conclude. Ages 14–up. Agent: Linda Epstein, Emerald City Literary. (Sept.)