SOLVED. YA Book From the '80s, Girl Obsessed with Poet Who Committed Suicide [s]

[Sheila]

I don't remember too much, but I read this in the mid or late '80s, and it was a young adult novel. It's about a girl who is obsessed with the writings of a female poet who committed suicide; I think she's also obsessed with death in general, wearing black, and so on (a pre-Goth!). The girl shows up at the dead poet's house, and meets her parents. She gets to know the grieving father pretty well. I believe the girl also had suicidal thoughts too. Vague, I know! Any ideas?

Thanks much!

[Sheila]

Bump!

[Sheila]

Bump! I asked at the library where I actually used to check this book out. They don't know either. Starting to think I'm imagining things. :)

[Cheryl]

Maybe you should write the book - it sounds like a good story!

[Sheila]

Giving this a bump! :)

[Cheryl]

Do you know if the poet was an actual person, or made-up? We could search by using Sylvia Plath and other names as a keyword...

[Sheila]

It was a fictional poet. My google searches for this book always come up with The Bell Jar, and while that's a great book, it's not what I'm looking for.

[Cheryl]

heh - yeah, ok, let's hope bumping it reaches someone who knows!

[Kristin]

The book is "Sleepwalking" by Meg Wolitzer.
http://www.amazon.com/Sleepwalking-Me...

[Sheila]

OMG I LOVE YOU. That is it! This is even the cover I remember:

Thanks so much!

[Andria]

My local library must not have owned this book when I was a teenager, or I would SO TOTALLY have read it. Congrats on being reunited with your lost book. :)

[Sheila]

It looks kind of terrible now, but I adored it when I was 14, hehe! I'm going to get a cheap used copy and see how it holds up.

[Kristin]

My pleasure. :)