Stay With Me

The door opens, and this guy comes in, kind of tall, clean cut, definitely nice-looking, but there’s something wrong with him. He strikes me as both wounded and perhaps a little dangerous.

And so it began. Céce and Mack never expected to fall in love. She’s a sensitive A-student; he’s a high school dropout. But soon they’re spending all their time together, bonding over a rescued dog, telling their darkest secrets. Everything is perfect. Until. Until. Mack loses control and makes a horrible mistake, and suddenly everything is impossible. Céce and Mack struggle, with both humour and compassion for each other,to answer the question: how do you survive when the person you love can’t stay?

Award-winning author Paul Griffin has written a story of first love that is both heartbreaking and uplifting, filled with characters, both dog and human, that will change the way you look at the world.

Stay With Me book trailer from Risa M on Vimeo.

Praise for Stay With Me:

‘Manages the trick of being at once hard-nosed and sentimental, brutal and uplifting. A pitbull of a novel, with wagging tail and teeth that could take your face off.’

Bernard Beckett

‘Achingly, authentically emotionally resonant, this sad, never-saccharine tale related in alternating voices will have absorbed readers reaching for the Kleenex. An outstanding love story peopled by a wealth of memorable characters.’

Kirkus Reviews

‘There is warmth, humour and a good dose of drama as the novel explores young love and how it is derailed when one person loses control. Told with compassion, this story shows that life goes on even when it is shot with heartbreak.’

Herald Sun

‘Griffin gets under the skin of his adolescent characters, rapidly shifting between perspectives as the lightning bolt of young love strikes and the thunder of misfortune follows. Stay With Me is a fine young-adult fiction and a memorable tear-jerker, written with rare grace, intelligence and empathy.’

Saturday Age

‘From its opening paragraph, this wonderful novel for young adults promises searing honesty and gut-wrenching heartache – and rarely has a book delivered with such desperate and terrible beauty upon its promise. Griffin’s prose is nothing short of gorgeous. He gives his two beautiful characters, Mack and Cece, real and resonant voices that tell their story with eloquence, humour and grace. Griffin’s deep sense of compassion and belief in the inherent goodness of most people, even in the face of adversity, imbue his story with warmth and spirit, making it as uplifting as it is tragic, as funny as it is sad, and as tender as it is horrifying. A truly remarkable piece of writing that stays with the reader long after the last page has been turned.’

Sunday Tasmanian

‘Paul Griffin’s exquisite writing style makes this story about Mack and Cece an unforgettable and intense portrait of first love, family ties and the bond between man and dog.'

Sunday Herald Sun

‘Need a good dose of romance? You’ll be engrossed in this story from the get-go!’

Dolly Magazine