If I Stay by Gayle Forman
- bearallen81
- Dec 9, 2014
- 2 min read
Because I like to pretend I'm one of those people that totally doesn't watch tv (when in reality, I watch several hours of Netflix a day), we don't have cable. So I was only aware of the release of this movie after friends started posting about it on Facebook talking about The Fault in Our Stars-level theater crying. And also because of this, I had no idea what the book was about. So I was shocked when just a few pages in... BAM!
I'm not a huge YA person. I'm a little jealous that these books didn't exist when I was an obnoxious tween/teen, but I'm a literary fiction girl most days. But you know my love for John Green, so I like to give YA a chance.
And while this is not a book that will likely stay with me, I loved the way Forman writes characters that aren't typical. Punk parents who raise a classical musician. Parents who don't dismiss young love. Children who love and enjoy their parent's company instead of being embarrassed of them. I also think the discussion about beginning your future in a committed relationship is an important one that we need to be having teenagers. While we don't want these girls to be pulling a full on Felicity, we can't just ignore the fact that the location of their partners will be considered in their plans. This is a book I would like my daughter to read... if her reading abilities extended beyond Corduroy.
Synopsis:
In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...
A sophisticated, layered, and heartachingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make—and the ultimate choice Mia commands.
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