Matthew Quick Tackles Bullying, Youth Violence In Young Adult Novel

At the start of Mathew Quick's new young adult novel, the protagonist and narrator packs his grandfather's World War II P-38 pistol into his back pack. It's his 18th birthday, and it's not a happy one. Leonard Peacock plans to say goodbye to the four most important people in his life, and then shoot his former best friend — and himself.

In addition to the P-38, there are four gifts: one for each of my friends. I want to say goodbye to them properly. I want to give them each something to remember me by, to let them know that I really cared about them and I'm sorry I couldn't be more than I was, that I couldn't stick around and what's going to happen isn't their fault. I don't want them to stress about what I'm about to do or to feel depressed afterward.
-- Excerpt from "Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock"

Quick lives in Holden and is a former high school English teacher who's written several best-selling novels. One of them is "The Silver Linings Playbook," which was made into the popular movie. His latest book is called "Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock."

It's a haunting and powerful study of youthful alienation, depression, bullying — and how kindness might save a life.

Matthew Quick, author