Book 27: If I Stay
If I Stay
Gayle Forman
YA fiction; romance
230 pages
The last normal moment that Mia, a talented cellist, can remember is being in the car with her family. Then she is standing outside her body beside their mangled Buick and her parents' corpses, watching herself and her little brother being tended by paramedics. As she ponders her state ("Am I dead?I actually have to ask myself this"), Mia is whisked away to a hospital, where, her body in a coma, she reflects on the past and tries to decide whether to fight to live. Via Mia's thoughts and flashbacks, Forman (Sisters in Sanity) expertly explores the teenager's life, her passion for classical music and her strong relationships with her family, friends and boyfriend, Adam. Mia's singular perspective (which will recall Alice Sebold's adult novel, The Lovely Bones) also allows for powerful portraits of her friends and family as they cope: "Please don't die. If you die, there's going to be one of those cheesy Princess Diana memorials at school," prays Mia's friend Kim. "I know you'd hate that kind of thing." Intensely moving, the novel will force readers to take stock of their lives and the people and things that make them worth living.
This book wasn't a total disaster, but huh? I don't understand all of the type. I hate to say it because of what happens with her family in the book, but Mia's parents really are quite annoying, They try too hard to be "hip" and "cool", and to me it really doesn't work well in the story. I found the flashbacks to be a bit dull, and honestly a lot of it seemed repetitive, in my opinion. I did, however, like Mia and she is the reason I didn't give the book just one star. Also, the ending redeemed some of the book for me as well.
***Next read: I am actually not sure yet. It depends on my book club pick tomorrow night. (I'm voting for Widow of the South by Robert Hicks. It also depends on what book is picked in mdsbookclub. ;)