Never Ending

Korsakoff Clinic isn’t your average rehab center. This mysterious, selective institution welcomes not drug addicts or alcoholics, but adolescents struggling to deal with guilt, sadness, and trauma stemming from the death of a loved one. The clinic, run by the impeccably professional Dr. Pollard, is the main setting of Never Ending by Martyn Bedford and is where Shiv finds herself after the death of her beloved brother, Declan.

At its core, Never Ending is a romantic tragedy with a tinge of mystery. From the beginning, Shiv represses memories of her brother’s death from the reader, who learns bits and bits of the story from Shiv’s jarring flashbacks. The difference between Shiv’s character before and after her brother’s death is at once startling and harrowing. Shiv used to be an outgoing, flirty, cheerful girl with a terrific sense of humor and a mind focused solely on boys. After her brother’s death, she becomes withdrawn, depressed, and at times, violent. At Korsakoff Clinic, Shiv struggles to find the answer to the all-important question: What really happened the night of her brother’s death?