The Tragedy Paper

By: Elizabeth Laban

Narrated by: Nick Chamian, Jesse Bernstein

Perfect for fans of Thirteen Reasons Why and Looking for Alaska, Jennifer Weiner, #1 New York Times bestselling author, calls Elizabeth LaBan’s The Tragedy Paper “a beguiling and beautifully written tale of first love and heartbreak.”

It follows the story of Tim Macbeth, a seventeen-year-old albino and a recent transfer to the prestigious Irving School, where the motto is “Enter here to be and find a friend.” A friend is the last thing Tim expects or wants—he just hopes to get through his senior year unnoticed. Yet, despite his efforts to blend into the background, he finds himself falling for the quintessential “It” girl, Vanessa Sheller, girlfriend of Irving’s most popular boy. To Tim's surprise, Vanessa is into him, too, but she can kiss her social status goodbye if anyone ever finds out. Tim and Vanessa begin a clandestine romance, but looming over them is the Tragedy Paper, Irving’s version of a senior year thesis, assigned by the school’s least forgiving teacher.

Jumping between viewpoints of the love-struck Tim and Duncan, a current senior about to uncover the truth of Tim and Vanessa, The Tragedy Paper is a compelling tale of forbidden love and the lengths people will go to keep their secrets.

Critic reviews

Entertainment Weekly, January 4, 2013:
"LaBan's debut -- reminiscent of Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why -- compassionately illustrates the tragedy of withholding love and friendship, or worse, never having the courage to seek them out."

Starred Review, Booklist, November 15, 2012:
“Debut novelist LaBan takes us into the private school culture as well as the heads of two charming yet very different teenage boys and their parallel love stories… Nonexistent parents, well-intentioned, likeable faculty on the periphery, elaborate dorm rooms with overstuffed closets, even the romantic, snow-covered campus all contribute to a setting that adds to the story’s heft and intrigue.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 8, 2013:
"This novel is relatable and unusually gripping, even for an older reader - full of slings and arrows and outrageous fortune...Romantic love, hard work, loyalty, friendship, suffering: Like the great tragedies that inspired the novel, it's all here. LaBan's take on adolescent life is rendered in the sweet, intelligent tradition of John Irving, but without any of the prep-school genre's self-satisfaction."

HelloGiggles.com
"The Tragedy Paper is about how hard it can be not to belong, and how far we’ll go just to feel like we do. It’s an absolutely fantastic book."

School Library Journal, February 2013:
"Strong plotting and characterization make Tim and Vanessa come to life for readers as much as for Duncan, whose understanding of tragedy becomes almost overwhelmingly acute."

Booklist, February 2013:
"An engaging tale told by a boy rendered an outsider by his appearance, full of passion and almost unrequited love, signifying the heartbreaks and melodramas of high school."

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, February 2013:
"An engaging tale told by a boy rendered an outsider by his appearance, full of passion and almost unrequited love, signifying the heartbreaks and melodramas of high school."

I love listening to the cd like it’s a story

I love how there are 2 characters and it goes back and forth I also love how the cd is like a story. One thing I whoa was different was that sometimes it confuses me that it switches back and forth between the characters and I forget who is who but over all it REALLY GOOD

Better Than Alaska, but not as good as 13 Reasons

Would you try another book from Elizabeth Laban and/or Nick Chamian and Jesse Bernstein ?

Yes.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

It was along the lines of what I was thinking given I knew it was compared to Waiting for Alaska and 13 Reasons Why.

Which character – as performed by Nick Chamian and Jesse Bernstein – was your favorite?

They were all fine.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Sure.

Any additional comments?

Check out 13 Reasons Why and SKIP Waiting for Alaska. Read this one over Alaska.

Sad, but lovely

I truly enjoyed this book. I was so engrossed in the story of Tim and Vanessa.

I loved it!

I loved the book a lot like “13 reasons why.” That is a very good book and show too.

I loved this book

Honestly thought this book was amazing. I couldn't put this book down that how intrigued I was. I love the story plot between Tim & Duncan. I was sad to hear that Vanessa never reached out to him. Tim was a beautiful character. I wish he would have saw himself the way Vanessa saw him. I loved this book! You need to read it!