"When You Reach Me": Part Two

Well, Kristin H called it in the comments last week: Marcus traveled in time and left the notes for Miranda. I saw that coming, too, at a certain point and honestly? I was slightly annoyed about it.

 

Don't get me wrong: I think this is a remarkable novel, all the more so considering its slim size. Stead packs quite a bit into her pages. I was nearly moved to tears as Sal hurtled toward the truck, and touched by the scene in which Miranda becomes Alice's bathroom partner—not to mention her first, tentative kiss with Colin (awww). I was brought back to age 12 in ways both good and, frankly, mortifying—and it's been a long time since a novel affected me that powerfully.

 

But.

 

I'm just not a big science-fiction person, so the time travel plot (and really, the whole conclusion of the book) didn't resonate with me as much. I was so carried away by the complicated web of friendships and crushes and middle-school politics that it felt unnecessary to me. (Of course, this overlay is exactly why the book has been so acclaimed, so I may be out to lunch on this one.) What did you think—did you love the science-fiction elements of the novel, or prefer the coming-of-age elements? Or did you feel they both worked?

 

I'd love to hear, and while you're at it, pass on any questions you have for author Rebecca Stead by 6 p.m. EST on Friday, October 22. She'll be answering your questions in an upcoming blog post.

 

—Noelle

 

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