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If I Stay | May 21, 2014

by Gayle Forman (Dutton/ Penguin Young Readers Group, 2009)

In honor of the movie trailer release, I decided to read Gayle Forman’s YA novel, If I Stay. After watching the movie trailer, I found myself tearing up in my cubicle and I knew I had to give the book a try—and I am so glad I did!

The book follows 17-year-old Mia after a tragic accident befalls her and her family. While in a coma, Mia has an out-of-body experience where she watches her friends and family–including her hunky rock start boyfriend Adam–cope with the aftermath of the accident, and her condition.

The book flashes back to Mia’s life before the accident, and chronicles her relationship with Adam, as well as her family relationships. Mia’s parents, Kat and Denny, are unique and loving individuals, and Teddy, her little brother, is as adorable as he is genuine. The relationships between the characters propel the novel forward, and make the accident that much more tragic to the reader.

The story was moving, heart wrenching, and asked the tough question: what do we have to live for? Is it ourselves, our family, love, or something greater? Forman writes the story so that we are inside Mia’s head, flashing back to happier times and being faced with the present dilemma side-by-side with her. In the end, Mia must make the choice, to live or to die, and it takes until the very last page for us to find out.

 

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