This Side of Falling - by Eunice Chan

Book Synopsis

In a devastatingly honest coming-of-age debut, a Chinese American teen navigates grief in the wake of her first love's death by suicide.

Not real. The mantra seventeen-year-old Nina repeats to herself the morning after her almost-boyfriend, Ethan Travvers, jumped onto the tracks in front of a freight train. The two words that keep the truth just far enough away so the loss can't touch her, grief can't break her. After all, there is the family image to uphold, especially when her dad's startup begins to flounder. Maintaining the illusion of wholeness and success is everything to Nina's mom and grandma.

The pretense is working--until Nina's all-star older sister, Carmen, is dismissed from college and abruptly returns home. Carmen's arrival and strange behavior dig up buried memories, leading Nina to wonder if there is more to the story of Ethan than even she knew. The truth is not what she wants to believe: about Carmen, about Ethan, but mostly, about herself.

Emotionally layered and unflinchingly honest, this novel will resonate with readers who love deeply affecting stories that tackle teen heartache in the vein of Kathleen Glasgow and Laura Nowlin.

Review Quotes

Praise for This Side of Falling

"This Side of Falling doesn't flinch from the hard parts of growing up: grief, identity, academic pressure, mental illness, and the silent exhaustion of always trying to be enough. Its emotional authenticity and rich character development make it a unique read that strikes a chord."
--TeenTix

"Chan takes readers on a journey of self-discovery through sadness and heartbreak that is realistic, but hopeful . . . At the heart of this novel is a story about love. Love for our friends, love for our families, and love for ourselves."
--International Examiner

"Readers who love Laura Nowlin or Kathleen Glasgow will want to pick up this novel, which promises to be one that brings up all of the feelings."
--Book Riot

"Emotional and introspective, this will find fans in readers who enjoyed Jennifer Niven's All the Bright Places (2015) and similar character-driven works focused on mental health, grief, and the ripples left by teens who take their own lives."
--Booklist

"Chan explores mental health, substance abuse, and overwhelming familial pressure as she addresses the importance of paying attention to signs of a teen in crisis . . . Realistically captures the experience of being frozen in grief while the world moves on . . . [and] concludes with hope."
--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Eunice Chan hails from Davis, California, and is a graduate of UC Davis. She has completed a program in Special Publishing with the Institute of Children's Literature and has published fiction with Clubhouse magazine. Currently she lives in Phoenix, Arizona, and works as a civil engineer.