Early Departures plot summary

Jamal and Quincy used to be best friends, until a series of tragedies drove them apart. When Q dies, it seems Jamal will have to mourn the fact that they weren’t able to reconcile. Until, that is, a mysterious new medical procedure offers a last chance. Q can be brought back to life, for as long as a month, after which he will die again. Further complicating things, Q’s mum doesn’t want anybody to tell Q what’s going on, leaving Jamal feeling like he’s lying as he tries to rekindle their friendship.

Content Warning: Early Departures contains death of parents, death of a close friend, grief, a car accident and trauma.

My thoughts on Early Departures

Early Departures is by Justin A. Reynolds, whose first novel, Opposite of Always, I’ve reviewed previously. This book deals with topics of loss and grief through a speculative fiction lens. And I thought it did a great job with that, as his first book did. The main character, Jamal, is dealing with the loss of his parents in a tragic car accident. And, at the same time, he’s working out how he feels about his ex-best-friend, who’s not speaking to him. Because Jamal stopped speaking to him first. It’s complicated.

The story was a little difficult to follow at first. I went back and re-read a bit over the first few chapters to try to get more of a grasp of things. But then figured it was intentional, and decided to just trust Reynolds to know what he was doing. Jamal is a character who’s got a lot on his mind, and the story is told in first-person, present tense, so you’re right in the middle of the chaos. And that comes across pretty clearly.

With that said, once I settled into the story, I found it straightforward enough to follow. If you can let yourself get swept up in the storytelling, you won’t have a problem once you’re a few chapters in!

Jamal was great

I really enjoyed reading from Jamal’s perspective in Early Departures. He has a really distinct voice, which I loved, and you get a strong sense of his character through his narration. He makes mistakes, but he’s clearly a good kid, and my heart went out to him throughout the book. I think his PTSD from his parents’ accident was handled well within the narrative, and there was some really sweet stuff between him and his sister.

Honestly, I liked pretty much all the characters. Jamal’s sister Whitney is fun, obviously doing her best and trying to retain a sense of humour in incredibly difficult circumstances. Jamal’s girlfriend August is smart and empathetic, but also refuses to take any crap, which I loved. And, of course, Quincy was great. I enjoyed the banter between him and Jamal, once they started talking again properly.

I had some issues with the pacing in Early Departures

It felt like some things were resolved very quickly, and some things dragged a little. Specifically, the section of the book around Q’s reanimation felt like it moved slowly, although quite a lot seemed to be going on. On the other hand, Q seemed to go surprisingly quickly from not wanting anything to do with Jamal to being quite happy to speak to him and make up.

These were minor issues, and they didn’t stop me from enjoying the book. By the time you’re past the first quarter of the book, most of the pacing stuff that bothered me will be behind you.

In summary…

Early Departures is another great YA read from Justin A. Reynolds, exploring friendship and self-discovery, loss and grief. Despite the heaviness of its topics, the book has a light touch, with plenty of humour to keep you going. As fun as it is heartfelt, I’d highly recommend Early Departures!

If you’re interested in hearing a more in-depth discussion of this book, you should check out Episode 20 of my Podcast! (coming 11^th November)