The Coldest Winter I Ever Spent

Author: Ann Jacobus

Hardcover

Eighteen-year-old Del is in a healthier place more than a year after a suicide attempt, but her aunt's terminal cancer diagnosis forces her to confront the demons she has been keeping at bay.

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Summary

Eighteen-year-old Del is in a healthier place more than a year after a suicide attempt, but her aunt's terminal cancer diagnosis forces her to confront the demons she has been keeping at bay.

Description

Eighteen-year-old Del is in a healthier place than she was a year and a half ago: She’s sober, getting treatment for her depression and anxiety, and volunteering at a suicide-prevention hotline. Her own suicide attempt is in the past, and living in San Francisco with her beloved aunt has helped her see a future for herself.

But when Aunt Fran is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Del’s equilibrium is shattered. She’s dedicated herself to saving every life she can, but she can’t save Fran. All she can do is help care for her aunt and try to prepare herself for the inevitable—while also dealing with a crush, her looming first semester at college, and her shifts at the crisis line.

After Aunt Fran asks for her help with a mind-boggling final request, Del must confront her own demons and rethink everything she thought she knew about life and death.

Critic Reviews

“"Del faces hard choices every day. Passionate, thoughtful, painfully impulsive, she's easy to root for--even when she makes mistakes. Skillfully rendered, this novel raises difficult questions about life and death. Instead of finding simple answers on the page, readers receive something better: honesty, hope and reassurance."--Sarah Tomp, author of The Easy Part of Impossible and My Best Everything”

"[T]his book takes readers on a bittersweet, hard-hitting journey with Del as she tackles more than an 18-year-old should. Jacobus expertly covers numerous tough subjects."–School Library Journal

About the Author

Ann Jacobus writes children's and YA fiction, teaches writing, and volunteers on a suicide crisis line. She's published short fiction, essays, and poetry in anthologies, journals, and magazines, and is the author of YA thriller Romancing the Dark in the City of Light, and YA novel The Coldest Winter I Ever Spent coming in spring, 2023. San Francisco is home to her and her family.