Caleb Johnson Book Review #4

[Caleb]

This artistic novel, "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman, was a trip for me. The book is about Mia, a musically gifted high schooler with her eyes on Julliard. One fateful day, Mia's world is turned (figuratively and literally) upside-down when a life-changing car crash leaves Mia in critical condition. During this time, Mia finds herself outside of her body, in a ghostly form. As she watches her body be taken to the emergency room, Mia reflects on her life, which brings her to the question, "If I stay, what is left for me?" I knew the premise of the book before I started reading, so what was really important to me was that Mia must be a compelling character. Most of the book is told in flashback as Mia narrates her life up to this point. This makes the book more of a character study than a narrative. So the whole book is dependent on the reader being able to identify and be moved by Mia. I am happy to report that I indeed was moved by Mia. Her passion for music rivals my own, her struggles and problems are realistic and relatable. I genuinely cared about her astral and bodily forms. I highly anticipated her decision to stay or not. The added layer of mystery concerning Mia's astral form creates a tone that makes the book engaging and tense in a passive sort of way. I would not recommend this book to young grade-schoolers; some adult things a bit of violence and a smattering of strong language lead me to recommend this read to people starting maybe eighth grade and up. Check it out for yourself and have a good cry just as I (might) have done.