Bookish Mardi: A Book Review of "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
"Sometimes you make choices in life and sometimes choices make you."
 |
| (Photo from web) |
What would you do if you have to choose? What if the choices laid in front of you are in between life and death? Choices of which there will surely be no "easy way" out, would you still want to choose? Or let's say in just a blink of an eye, your seemingly perfect life will be devastated, what possible choices will you ever do?
Let us try to travel six months backward. Not in an era of war and blood-lust but in an era of summer and dusty winds and sulky sun, in which I had spent happy days thousands of miles away from my own city. As enjoyment was about to ravage and devour my remaining days, I spent minute of my time randomly reading news feed in Facebook when I happened to encounter a post from a college best bud, Emily, which caught my attention.
It was a line she quoted from the book she was currently reading that time. I messaged her, asking what the book was about and she told me I can borrow hers if she's finally through. Being a book junkie me, my soul right away jumped out of my body hearing those words from her. Unfortunately, I was miles away from her that time which made me too impatient to wait for us to meet. Of course, being able to stay in a big city gives you the advantage of getting everything you like instantly.
There then, this tolerant boyfie of mine, after hearing my wails brought me to a bookstore and bought the book and its sequel and another set of books. You can now imagine how my face looks like being able to have a haul of books. :D
That had started my journey with this great author's books of which tell readers those unavoidable circumstances, consequences, and above all choices. Well, thanks to Emily for introducing her to me.
Book Review
It is scary how fast you can lose somebody so close to you by a very mere accident, be it a car crash, fire, and the like. The saddest part is that there will be no warnings given. It's so sudden, so abrupt. No goodbyes, no last minutes for you to leave your unprepared messages of how much you love the people around you. It can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime.
 |
| (Photo from web) |
This novel, written in Mia's perspective in which she talked about what was happening around her in the present and reacted on her past, opens up a realm of responsibilities regarding one's belief system and how one's choices can be affected with such crucial situation. As I was reading the novel I found myself fluctuating between acknowledging the randomness of being "at the wrong place at the wrong time" and an obligational acceptance of the natural turn of events.
It's a story so deep that while intense romance and steamy scenes were not a part of the story, the emotional connection to the characters' past and current reality are strong enough and nothing else matters. Considering that each story, from minute to momentous one was carefully told, I was then able to shed torrent of tears after its first few pages. Though I had seen it's cover page and had read little summary about the book, I was still fully unprepared of the roller coaster emotions embraced by this book. I smiled, laughed, squealed, whimpered, fell in love, sobbed, cried and completely engrossed in Mia's heartbreaking tale. The story had taken me to a never-before ride wherein I had been fallen and catched and dropped and crushed.
I fell in love with the book right away because the author made no sugarcoating in any part of it. From the gory accident scene until its heart-breaking ending, the author's raw and beautiful writing shaped a contemporary masterpiece. She showed what appeals to be everyone's experience - life can never be perfect. Yes. Mia's life, from the beginning showed no flaws at all, her talent, bestfriend, boyfriend and family, everything seems so perfectly given yet with a snap of fingers, everything changed. The author's style of mixing words and music also, though not my first time to have read such kind of novel, still made me definitely felt as if I can also play any musical instrument. Her exemplary writing weaves a plot that will make you evaluate even your own life and and will leave you agreeing everything she's offering. She's just so exquisite.
I do admire both Mia and Gayle for being able to stir my emotions, and for making me realize that at some point in our lives we shouldn't just choose hastily. When we happen to have our choice, then we should open-mindedly and strong-heardtedly face its consequences and repercussions.
I salute Mia's nourishing strength in her tough decision making and Gayle's choking tension infuse in opening the story.
Overall, If I Stay is a novel exceptionally written. It is in such a way that you will somehow forget you are consuming it in just one sitting under the scorching heat of the sun and not minding the sunburn you'll have. It's prepossessing and resonating book about fighting for your loved ones, unaccomplished love, frugality of life , pivoting and shattered memories and above all the unwelcomed death. I found it both tearjerking and moving.
Book Summary
Just listen, Adam says with a voice that sounds like shrapnel.
I open my eyes wide now.
I sit up as much as I can.
And I listen.
Stay, he says.
Choices. Seventeen-year-old Mia is faced with some tough ones: Stay true to her first love—music—even if it means losing her boyfriend and leaving her family and friends behind?
Then one February morning Mia goes for a drive with her family, and in an instant, everything changes. Suddenly, all the choices are gone, except one. And it's the only one that matters.
If I Stay is a heartachingly beautiful book about the power of love, the true meaning of family, and the choices we all make. (Summary from Wikipedia)
I open my eyes wide now.
I sit up as much as I can.
And I listen.
Stay, he says.
Choices. Seventeen-year-old Mia is faced with some tough ones: Stay true to her first love—music—even if it means losing her boyfriend and leaving her family and friends behind?
Then one February morning Mia goes for a drive with her family, and in an instant, everything changes. Suddenly, all the choices are gone, except one. And it's the only one that matters.
If I Stay is a heartachingly beautiful book about the power of love, the true meaning of family, and the choices we all make. (Summary from Wikipedia)
Remarkable Lines from the Book
"Grave is where you go when things don't work out here." - Mia Hall
"In books and movies, the stories always end when two people finally have their romantic kiss. The happily-ever-after is just assumed." - Mia
"You don't need to be good; you just need to be committed." - Denny Hall
"People believe what they want to believe." - Kim Schein
 |
| - Denny Hall (Photo from web) |
"If you can't trust me with a choice, how can you trust me with a child." - Kat Hall
"Babies were expensive and we needed to save." - Denny
 |
| ". . . the you who you are tonight is the same you I was in love yesterday, the same you I'll be in love with tomorrow.' - Adam Wilde (Photo from web) |
". . .almost everything in the world can be divided into two groups." - Kim and Mia
"Every fiction has its base in fact." - Adam
"Amazing things happen when you stop hiding behind that hulking bear." - Adam
"Don't be scared. Women can handle the worst kind of pain. You'll find out one day." - Kat Hall
"Teddy is gone. Mom and Dad are gone. This morning I went for a drive with my family. And now I am here, as alone as I've ever been. I am seventeen years old. This is not how it's supposed to be. This is not how my life is supposed to turn out." - Mia
"What would it be like if I stay?" - Mia
"I am not sure this is the world I belong in anymore. I'm not sure that I want to wake up." - Mia
"I just think that funerals are a lot like death itself. You can have your wishes, your plans, but at the end of the day, it's out of control." - Denny Hall
 |
| "Dad was wrong. It's true you might not get to control your funeral, but sometimes you do get to choose your death." - Mia (Photo from web) |
 |
| (Photo from web) |
"I wonder if every dying person gets to decide whether they stay or go. It seems unlikely." - Mia
"It's okay. If you want to go. Everyone wants you to stay. I want you to stay more than anything I've ever wanted in my life. But that's what I want and I could see why it might not be what you want. So i just wanted to tell you that I understand if you go. It's okay if you have to leave us. It's okay if you want to stop fighting." - Grandpa
 |
| ...a soul-gripping scene of Mia and her Grandpa (Photo from web) |
 |
| - Denny Hall (Photo from web) |
 |
| "Please, Mia. Don't make me write a song." - Adam Wilde (Photo from web) |
"I'd never expected to fall in love." - Mia
"Even as I was falling in love - full throttle, intense, can't-erase-that-goofy-smile love, I didn't really register what was happening." - Mia
"I know. I know. What does a dumb kid know about love?" - Mia
". . .seventeen is an inconvenient time to be in love." - Kat Hall
"All relationships are tough. Just like with music, sometimes you have harmony and other times you have cacophony." - Kat
"Life might take you down different roads. But each of you gets to decide which one to take." - Kat
 |
| (Photo from web) |
Mia: You're already gone. To your own Julliard.
Adam: I know. But I'm still here. And I'm still crazy in love with you.
"I don't know if once you die you remember things that happened to you when you were alive. It makes a certain logical sense that you wouldn't. That being dead will feel like before you were born, which to say a whole lot of nothingness." - Mia
"Losing me will hurt; it will be the kind of pain that wont feel real at first, and when it does, it will take her ( Kim) breath away." - Mia
"I've never toughened up enough to handle what I'd have to handle if I were to stay." - Mia
"Where has time gone?" - Kat
 |
| (Photo from web) |
"Stay. There's no word for what happened to you. There's no good side of it. But there is something to live for. And I'm not talking about me. It's just. . . I don't know. Maybe I'm talking shit. I know I'm in shock. I know I haven't digested what happened to your parents, to Teddy. All I can think about is how fucked up for your life to end here now. I mean, I know that your life is fucked up, no matter what now, forever. And I'm not dumb enough to think that I can undo that, anyone can. But I can't wrap my mind around the notion of you not getting old, having kids, going to Julliard, getting to play that cello in front of a huge audience, so that they can get the chills the way I do everytime I see you pick up your bow, every time i see you smile at me." - Adam
"If you'll stay, I'll do whatever you want. I'll quit the band, go with you to New York. But if you need me to go away, I'll do that, too. I was talking to Liz and she said maybe coming back to your old life would just be too painful, that maybe it'd be easier for you to erase us. And that would suck, but I'd do it. I can lose you like that if don't lose you today. I'll let you go if you stay." - Adam
 |
| (Photo from web) |
- Cee Brensan
No comments:
Post a Comment