Book Review and Interview by Jessica, age 17, Canada

“I see a red door and I want it painted black…No colours anymore I want them to turn black”

- The Rolling Stones

Book Review

(*Spoiler alert!*)

Paint It Black is a very intricate and captivating novel that keeps you glued to the book right from the start. Josie Tyrell is the main character in the book that lives a very open and care free lifestyle. Michael Faraday was Josie’s boyfriend, who commits suicide right at the beginning of the novel. Because of the tragic event, Michaels mother Meredith blames Josie for the death of her son because she believes Josie was unfit for him. Michael Faraday came from a very wealthy and talented family. He dropped out of Harvard to paint in L.A and met Josie who became the love of his short life. To Meredith, Josie was girl with a bad reputation and a punk rebellious look about her… unfit for Michael.

When Michael Faraday commits suicide, Josie struggles heavily with her loss; she becomes depressed and devastated because the two of them were deeply in love. Josie also has to deal with Meredith because she often called to blame the suicide on her and mostly to release her anger. Throughout their arguments it becomes clear that Josie and Meredith have a need and a want to talk to each other but because the both of them are so stubborn it’s not until months after that Josie shows up at Meredith’s door on Christmas night, with nowhere to go. It’s this moment in that their relationship begins, as odd as it may be.

As Josie and Meredith get to know each other better and as their relationship gets stronger, they discover some shocking things about Michaels past. Meredith is dumbfounded by the fact that Michael cooked and lived a lifestyle opposite of the one he grew up with and Josie believes that everything about Michael was a complete lie. But worst of all Josie is also convinced that Michael never had loved her and began doubting their entire relationship. Was Michael living two completely separate lives?

Josie who was now living with Meredith had the chance to truly understand Michael better by experiencing the life he had had with Meredith. So far, Meredith had taken Josie in and wrapped her up with love and comfort. She began treating Josie as if she were Michael, she spoils her completely and Josie allows her to do so because she never experienced a life so full of riches and care.

As Josie becomes even more comfortable living with Meredith, she starts to explore the house a little better. Josie soon comes across a photo album that makes Josie doubt Michael and hers love even more. Josie sees Michael participating in so many activities he claimed he had hated, such as the sports and many other things. But there was one particular photograph that stood out to her… one that proves Michael and Meredith’s relationship was a lot closer than she thought it to be. Josie wonders how she went on so long without truly realizing Michael had lived two completely different lives. If they loved each other so much, why couldn’t he trust her?

It wasn’t until Josie gets the treatment Michael had had with Meredith that she starts to understand the life that Michael had lived and the reasons behind his actions. She now knows what it was like to be Michael and why he needed to get away. Tragedy was a theme that was consistent throughout, and the image of death is strongly noticed throughout the entire novel. The language of death ironically shows the language of life…which shows Josie the language of life and how to truly live. Meredith had made the wrong decisions all along and Josie finally makes the right one, by leaving Meredith behind and continues on her journey of discovering Michael.

Josie decides that she will visit the place that Michael had died. It is at this particular spot that she truly understands Michael. A girl at the location had found the journal that belonged to Michael before he had killed himself and handed it to Josie. It is in this journal that she finds out he had truly loved her and she begins to accept his death. The dream of the true world was also a large part of Michael and Josie’s life, because it was what they tried to achieve. (Sadly enough the true world was when they were happy and in love, and it was lost when Michael had given up). But, Josie’s acceptance of Michael's death was the final thing she needed to do to truly cope with the situation, and once that was achieved a new start was just beginning…