Playlist For The Dead: An Admirable and Compassionate Friendship by Michelle Falkoff

“You never know someone until you listen.”

My Personal Rating:

I actually finished the Playlist For The Dead by Michelle Falkoff on the last day of this semester, and now I have time to share my thoughts about this.

This book talks about Sam and Hayden. They were best friends and weird as they described themselves. Basically, there was a party that happened, Sam and Hayden, who is not really a sociable-human being, decided to attend that party. After the party, Sam decided to go to Hayden’s House in the morning; he’d seen him lying on his bed look exhausted. He tried to wake him up, but Hayden didn’t move or even reacted to Sam. Sam found a bottle of beers and medicine at the corner of his bed that he is not familiar with. Curiosity starts to rush into his mind, he tried to wake him up again, but he still didn’t move. Sam felt that Haden is not breathing, then he found out that he was dead.

Sam found an iPod or a playlist that has a note “TO SAM, LISTEN AND YOU’LL UNDERSTAND” it was a bunch of music that they usually listen to. The music list included some bands that they both idolize. After that, he didn’t know where to ask for help, and it is the most heartbreaking scene in his life.

I could say that it was a great book and doesn’t have any nonsense or boring chapters. Maybe at some point, I could relate to Sam’s feelings.

There were two things that I like about this book. The first one is that it was written from the first point of view, which sounds perfect for this kind of story, wherein you will know the journey using the protagonist’s point of view.

The second one is the music featured in this book; I wouldn’t say I liked the music. Some of them are soft rocks, and honestly speaking, I’m not a fan of that kind of genre, but it was good to my ears when I tried to hear those.

The meaning was so dark and sad where you could relate at some point. It seems like if you listen to those songs, you could also imagine that you are Sam and finding some clue why Hayden took his life.

I understand the part where Hayden wants Sam to listen to that music because he knew that the only person who would understand him is his friend. There’s also a part in this book that makes my heart melt. It’s where Sam is always there to help and guide Hayden from the decision that he wanted to make. Their relationship truly defines what the real definition of friendship is. Their love and trust in each other are the things that make their relationship strong.

The romance and mystery of this book are in balance. The character development was great, and I could feel the author’s emotion unleash for her readers. Sam was a strong and lovable friend that I wanted to have if he was a real character in this world. The love that he gives to his friend is out of this world.

I highly recommend this book if you are a fan of music and loves rock or soft rock genres. Maybe you could relate to the story at some point, and if you are the kind of person who loves stories about friendship, this book is perfect for you.

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