Plot Summary
Some people understand a love story doesn't always have a happy ending, but find interest in the journey along the way. Still with Me is a story of love, loss, and life together again. It is a story born from the confusing desperation of suicide.
Jeremy tells his best friend he loves her on his 20th birthday. They've been friends for years, and she not only rejects him, but introduces him to her boyfriend. Unable to bear the pain, Jeremy turns to a bottle of pills to hopefully end his life. However, he wakes up a year later on his 21st birthday with the love of his life, Victoria by his side. It appears she returned after their conversation, found him in his helpless state, and has stood by him since. However, he remembers none of this, and the pattern continues. His life continues, but he only "wakes up" once a year to find he is helpless to participate in it. It turns out he did get the girl his heart yearned for, but only gets to spend his life with her a day or two at a time, never knowing when he goes to sleep when he will be back. Jeremy has become a spectator in his life, not having any ability to control it.
Thierry Cohen wrote Still With Me following a friend's suicide. The story is his attempt to heal from the pain, as well as help others going through similar struggles. He grew up in France with a large family, influenced by writers Hemingway, John Fante, and Philip Roth. This book received France's Grand Prix Jean d'Ormesson award in 2007.
"This book was a wonderful find - I didn't want to put it down. This poor man who commits suicide after the love of his life rejects him only to wake up on his birthday the following year with her by his side. This is only the beginning as he tries to sort out his mysterious life in which he only remembers a few days. he spends his time fighting against his alter ego all while trying to protect his family. Beautiful lesson to be learned that we all have a deep affect on other people's lives."
—
Jessica (4 out of 5 stars)
Publisher Summary
Today, it's my choice. I don't want this life anymore. Today, I'm in control.... If I'm not brave enough, I'll think of her.
When childhood friend Victoria rejects his love, Jeremy takes his life on his 20th birthday.
On his 21st birthday, he wakes to find Victoria holding his hand, blissfully in love with him. Jeremy can't remember the previous year, but he savors the miracle of waking up alongside the woman he loves.
The next time he wakes, two years have passed and Jeremy is now a spectator of his own life. Victoria has given him a child, but the man alongside her is a cruel, egotistical, seemingly unknowable Jeremy. Is it amnesia? Insanity? Or has Jeremy been cursed for his selfish, destructive act?
This strange, beautiful novel asks an eternal question: What is the value of life and love?
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About Thierry Cohen
Thierry Cohen was born in Morocco and moved to France at the age of two in a family with five children. After a dramatic childhood, he found comfort reading books. He began writing without telling a soul, just for the pleasure of putting his emotions into words. Today, he lives in Lyon with his wife and four children.
About Nick Podehl
Nick Podehl is a professional voice actor. He has narrated numerous audiobooks, many of which have won prestigious awards, including fourteen AudioFile Earphones Awards. He currently lives and works around Grand Rapids, Michigan, with his wife.