I Will Save You

Kidd is the story’s narrator and struggles with mental health conditions. He provides a detailed account of pushing Devon off a cliff. However, there are clues that his narration is unreliable, such as when his deceased mother implores him to remember. This suggests that part of the story is missing. Kidd constantly questions whether he did the right thing; this suggests that he worries that his memory is flawed.

Kidd’s unreliable narration is in part due to his mental health struggles. After his parents’ deaths, Kidd was left alone: “They put me in Horizons after my mom died ‘cause they said I had post-traumatic stress. They believed it was the reason I was always so tired and confused and bad to myself” (12). Suffering from PTSD, Kidd experiences exhaustion and confusion, which impact his daily life and memory. Kidd suffers from a negative self-perception. For example, he longs to tell Olivia in a dream: “You’re too smart and talented and beautiful to wait for someone like me. I don’t deserve to be sitting next to you” (61). When he lists Olivia’s positive attributes, he implies that he does not share them and, consequently, is not worthy of her. He also feels unworthy of Red’s mentorship and says he hates himself.