

I’ve never really belonged anywhere, but Will needs me and the beeping machines in this room are irritating. I cannot loiter in this curtained space either. I want to remind her she has other responsibilities, but I’m distracted by Will calling my name.

The landlord will only be understanding for so long. Her mother weeps and crumbles another damp tissue in her fist, before returning to absently scrunching the clean white sheets in her free hand. I know it’s still a couple of months away, but we’ll invite all your friends and have a cake. Can you hear me, Lucy? If you wake, I promise we’ll do something special for your seventeenth birthday.

Sometimes she talks about the weather, or the broken coffee machine in the hallway. Sitting alone by the bed, the awkward brown chair squeaks when she adjusts her position. Ms Phillips holds her daughter’s limp hand carefully so not to dislodge the tubes trailing from the pale skin. She nods and he glances at his watch, already making his way to the door. He assures her the girl lying motionless on the narrow hospital bed can hear every word she says. I hover unnoticed as the doctor places his hand on Ms Phillips’ stooped shoulder and suggests she talk to her daughter. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.Įmail: Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry The book should be required reading for students, parents, and anyone who works with youth." - Entrada Publishing Read more "If I Wake delivers a powerful message that will touch the hearts of so many who are being bullied or have been bullied in the past. It needs to be in every library." - Goodreads reviewer I believe every family, every teacher, every principal, and everyone who knows a teenager should read this book. "As a senior high school teacher who has experienced the suicide of a student, I have to say that If I Wake is one of the best books I've read dealing with the issues teens face. In an intricate tale of friendship and hope that blurs the line between dreams and reality, author Nikki Moyes addresses the serious issues of bullying, depression and suicide. But how do you live when the only person who can save you doesn’t exist? When the bullying goes too far and Lucy ends up in a coma, only Will can reach her.

Lucy is bullied at school and is thinking of ending her life. She is so caught up with finding a cure she doesn’t see the real problem. Lucy’s mum thinks there is something wrong when Lucy sleeps for days at a time. Even though their meetings are more real to Lucy than the present, Lucy is uncertain if Will exists outside her mind. Their lives intersect in dreams, where destiny pulls them together through different times in history. Will is sixteen year old Lucy’s best friend.
