Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Every once in a while a book comes along that inspires me. It reminds me of why I want to write. Why I am trapped for three hours a week in Shakespeare class. This book was one of those books. (Just a note....if you have a real problem with the F-bomb....this book uses it pretty liberally) The writing style is elegant and you feel your way through the story. I'll admit I bought this thing at the USU Bookstore this morning....as it came out today....and finished it somewhere in my third class of the day. I pretty much didn't ever put it down.
This book is a sequel to If I Stay, which is another book that moved me. Mia loses her entire family in a devastating car accident and then must make the decision on whether or not to stay and live out her life. I remember trying really hard not to cry as I read that book, because I was sitting on an airplane and I understood how she felt in trying to decide other aspects of her life and possibly facing a long distance relationship. I was at that point too. So the book touched me and I cry every time I read it.
Where She Went comes from the perspective of Adam, Mia's boyfriend from If I Stay. The story takes place three years after the accident and you get bits and pieces from the past woven in expertly with the present. Adam's pain is brutal and raw. That's what I love about this book, is that you are able to feel the book rather than just reading the story. And when you get to the last page you feel as though you finally get the closure If I Stay lacked.
I loved this book. It was probably one of the best books I've read in a very long time. It might not inspire you the same way, but it inspired me. It makes me think and it moved me. I think all good books should move you. That is what I aim to do.

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