Introduction

A beautiful new edition of the stunning debut novel by Nina LaCour, award-winning author of We Are Okay
 
“Hold Still may be the truest depiction of the aching, gaping hole left in the wake of a suicide that I’ve ever read. A haunting and hopeful book about loss, love, and redemption.” – Gayle Forman, #1 bestselling author of If I Stay and I Have Lost My Way
 
That night Ingrid told Caitlin, I’ll go wherever you go. But by dawn Ingrid, and her promise, were gone.

Ingrid’s suicide immobilizes Caitlin, leaving her unsure of her place in a new life she hardly recognizes. A life without the art, the laughter, the music, and the joy that she shared with her best friend.... But Ingrid left something behind. In words and drawings, Ingrid documented a painful farewell in her journal. Journeying through Ingrid’s final days, Caitlin fights back through unspeakable loss to find renewed hope.

Hold Still is the indelible debut that launched Nina LaCour, the award-winning author of We Are Okay. LaCour’s breakthrough novel brings the changing seasons of Caitlin’s first year without Ingrid to the page with indelible emotion and honesty.

Includes an all-new essay from the author to commemorate 10 years in print!


 

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Excerpt

1
I watch drops of water fall from the ends of my hair. They streak down my towel, puddle on the sofa cushion. My heart pounds so hard I can feel it in my ears.
“Sweetheart. Listen.”
Mom says Ingrid’s name and I start to hum, not the melody to a song, just one drawn-out note. I know it makes me seem crazy, I know it won’t make anything change, but it’s better than crying, it’s better than screaming, it’s better than listening to what they’re telling me. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

1. The title phrase, “hold still,” appears several times in the novel. What do those words mean to you in different contexts? Did your interpretation of the title’s meaning change after reading the book?
2. Mia Nolting’s illustrations are found throughout Hold Still. In what ways do her illustrations support the text of the novel, especially the self-portrait from Ingrid’s journal?
3. Caitlin is an artist and a photographer, as was Ingrid. How does art help Caitlin to express herself? How can art be both a window and a mirror to understand ourselves and others?
4. Hold Still begins in “summer” and progresses through “fall,” “winter,” “spring,” and “summer again.” What do each of the seasons symbolize in terms of the action and arc of the story?
5. How does Caitlin’s understanding of friendship—especially her friendship with Ingrid—develop and change over the course of the novel? How do new relationships impact Caitlin’s thinking?
6. What does Caitlin’s treehouse—and her experience building it—mean to you?
7. Caitlin tells us on page 44, “I know that when I finish reading Ingrid’s journal, there won’t be anything new between us ever again. . . . I’m going to try to make her last.” Do you agree with Caitlin’s worry? How did learning about Ingrid through her journal entries change your perspective as a reader?
8. Near the end of the story, on page 194, Caitlin comes to believe that, “Hope starts over.” What does this statement mean to you? Do you agree?

Weblinks

»	Author's website
»	Publisher's Book Info

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