Save Me, Kurt Cobain by Jenny Manzer - OPTIONAL

Manzer, Jenny Save Me, Kurt Cobain, 263 pages. Delacorte Press, 2016.  Language: R (20 swears + 25”f”);  Mature Content: PG-13 (talk of drug use, instance of underage drinking); Violence PG-13 (talk of suicide, suicidal ideation).  

Nico is fifteen, and her mother, Annalee, walked out of her life when she was four, promising to return “before the flowers wilt”. Nico lives a quiet existence, interacting only with her father, Verne, and her friend, Obe, who shares her love of music and understands her need to continually question what happened to her mother. Nico takes a solo trip at Christmas to visit her aunt in another city, and gets a feeling that she won’t come back.  When Nico suspects the man sitting across from her on the ferry is actually Kurt Cobain in disguise, she follows him, sneaks into his car, and gives him the shock of his life when he arrives many hours later at his destination.   Her plea:  Help me find my mother.

This book is mostly about Kurt Cobain, the late singer of the band Nirvana, who died in 1994.  The characters are a vehicle to talk about the music and the life of this talented, depressed, drug-addicted guitar genius, as well as the 90’s grunge scene in general.  Through Nico, the author gives detailed information about shows, lyrics, and some of Cobain’s personal characteristics.  I think the book has limited demographic appeal, since many adolescents today don’t have a connection with this singer or band. 

HS-OPTIONAL  Reviewer: JulieA