If I stay by Gayle Forman
It seems that I am reading a lot of stories about near death experiences or after death experiences lately. There was also Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, which was more of a moments-prior-to-death experience. Each has it's own way of showing how one person's life impacts others. In this story, Mia is having a sort of out of body experience as she observes herself in a coma in intensive care. She learns about what has happened to her family members who were in the accident and watches her loved ones talking to her from this removed state. She comes to realize that it is her choice if she stays or decides to go. I was touched by her feelings for her brother as she was trying to discover his fate. She also relives her moments with her parents prior to the accident.
I kept wondering how different this story would be if it was told from the viewpoint of the mother or father. The idea of choosing to continue your life without your children would be a very different struggle. I was impressed with how the author handled this through the eyes of a teenager. It was interesting to see what Mia could and could not experience from this state. There is a sequel coming out in a few months, and I am looking forward to reading it.
This is a quick read with an interesting concept and good characters. I enjoyed it. 4/5
3 comments:
This does sound like an interesting premise. Did you think that it was more of a YA read, or an adult novel? I'm guessing the former because of the teenage girl voice?
It was YA. With the storyline it could have easily been otherwise if it was told from the mother's voice.
I have one word about this book: stunning. This novel was so amazing, I literally would not stop reading until the end. It reminded me vaguely of Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones, but with more music and love story. Add this book to your must-read list and save room on the bookshelf.
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