“Rather than exploiting suicide for character development, Basran opts to probe fractures in the oldest, closest relationships and the beautiful fragility of new ones. Each character is distinct, drawn with such detail that readers will find it easy to empathize with them. Help! I’m Alive is a masterful examination of what it means to be human, to hope and to connect.” — Shelf Awareness
“A satisfying drama.” — Publishers Weekly
“Basran sensitively examines four characters with their own sets of psychological struggles, all of whom gradually and to a believable degree begin to move past them and open up, offering a hint of hope to the reader.” — Booklist
“Gurjinder Basran brings a laser-focused intensity to the interactions and concerns of alienated teens, the cruelties and generosities of friendship, intimacy and family, the ‘small interventions’ that make life bearable. ‘When we’re the luckiest we don’t even know it’s happening,’ she writes. By the end of Help! I’m Alive, though, that is no longer true; having come through a terrible ordeal, these flawed but compelling characters have found the grace notes to guide them onward in their journey.” — Rachel Rose, author of The Octopus Has Three Hearts
“Help! I’m Alive doesn’t exploit the despair that can lead to suicide but instead asks its characters and readers to look at the ways they connect — or don’t — in modern society … Basran’s insight, voice and deep character work make this an affecting read.” — Shelf Awareness