Day 06 – A book that makes you sad

Tough, tough choice.  I'm kind of an emo chick (duh) because I often enjoy things that make the average person sad.  I like the bittersweet parts of life, and I often find solace in talking about the tough, awkward things no one likes to talk about.  Anyway, I ended up choosing a book that, while it did make me sad, it also blew me away.

If I Stay by Gayle Foreman

Haunting, gorgeous, dramatic, realistic, and not an easy read.  I definitely loved this book, but oh how it made my heart hurt!  We get the story from Mia's point of view, but with the interesting twist that it's sort of an out-of-body experience immediately following a horrific car accident that claims her parents and puts her little brother's life in jeopardy as well.  This is Mia's struggle to survive, to decide if she wants to stay in this life or pass on.  Much of it is in flashback form, describing her relationship with her boyfriend Adam and the differences they faced as being parts of different crowds.  Their relationship reminds me a bit of Say Anything..., especially in the different crowds part.  Adam has a Lloyd Dobler-esque way about him, and Mia is very Diane Court with a cello.

I also tend to personalize things way too much, so If I Stay gets me because I start to think, "What if this happened to me?  What would I do?  How would I go on?" and then the tears start rolling.  And basically anytime Adam is in the hospital, I'm on the verge of a meltdown.  However, though it's very sad, it also contains a lot of hope.  An excellent read.

There is a sequel to this that I haven't read yet (because I am the WORST!) and it's called Where She Went. It comes out in paperback in April, so I'll be sure to pick it up.