Hello All!
It's been a rather long time since I've posted on here, and even longer since I've had enough of a break to do some real reading. School finished in May, and almost immediately I started working. I read a couple books in the main part of my summer, during my internship, but the books that I most want to tell you about were books that I read in my two weeks of actual summer vacation time. This set of books covers four Gayle Forman books, and before I get into them, I have a little backstory.
Backstory:
My family has been going to the same vacation spot for basically my entire life, and that place is a nice, beach-y place that is perfect for relaxing and not doing much of anything. One of my favorite things to do there is to read on the beach. This year, we left for vacation less than twelve hours after I got back from my internship, and I didn't have a lot of time to pick a good book to read. Instead, the first thing that I did in town was to stop by the local bookstore to pick up a book. My first book was "Just One Day", by Gayle Forman. I read this book in a day or two, went back for the sequel, read that in a day, went back for "If I Stay", and went back to find the sequel to that book sold out. I ordered it from Amazon, read it over the course of this week. Last night, I was able to see "If I Stay"in theaters, so I have some thoughts about that too. And here we are. My thoughts on these books will be split into two posts, as I have a lot of thoughts about both sets.
The Books: Stop here if you don't want spoilers. You have been warned.
The set of books that I want to talk about is "Just One Day"and "Just One Year" (there is also an eBook called "Just One Night", but I haven't read it yet). These books are more companion books than a straight-up series. One book does not chronologically follow the other, but the "second" one starts in the middle of the plot of the first one, told from the point of view of the other major character. Although I've said that the books aren't told as sequential stories, I don't think that the second one would make much sense without reading the first one...so read "Just One Day" before you read "Just One Year".
"Just One Day" chronicles the story of an American teenager from Pennsylvania, beginning at a theater in London as she wraps up a post-graduation tour of Europe with her best friend. This girl, through a quick succession of random events, ends up going to Paris for a single day with an actor from a street-performance Shakespeare group. At first she isn't sure what to think of this guy, but as they spend more time together, she feels herself begin to fall in love with him. At times, it seems like he feels the same way, but the next morning, she wakes up alone with no explanation from him.
Feeling humiliated, the girl returns home and heads off to college. After returning home, the main character has a difficult time opening back up to her family and her suite-mates in the dorms. Her depression severely affects her grades, leading her to effectively switch majors and pick up a Shakespeare class. Throughout the next semester, she is able to open back up to people and start to heal from the pain, shame, and regret that she held for the past year. She also decides that, before she can fully recover, she needs answers. She studies French, gets a job, and finds herself back in Paris. The book ends just as she meets the boy once again.
"Just One Year" is told from the point of view of the street-performance actor. It begins on the morning after his day in Paris, when he left the girl. He wakes up in a hospital unable to remember what has happened to him. The reader discovers that he left to get breakfast, tried to leave her a note, and was attacked in some way by someone - an event connected to the plot of the first book. He tries to return to the girl, but finds that she has left, he has no way to contact her, and he cannot remember her name.
After trying to return home and return to a normal life, he decides that he wants to find her. He then travels to Mexico to try to find her. After this, he reconnects with his estranged mother in India, stars in a Bollywood movie, and auditions for a new play upon returning to his home. This books ends with the girl arriving at his door.
My Thoughts
Although these books are not sequential, or perhaps because they are not sequential, the overall experience of reading them was very satisfying. Although it seemed as though the second book would just be a retelling of the same story, it was just as captivating to see familiar events unfold and twist themselves into the life of a different character. For example, when the guy goes to Mexico in the second book, the reader knows that he is always just missing the girl.
Each book also does a fantastic job of sucking the reader in and making them see events from different points of view. Although the reader may not feel the girl's depression, or completely agree with her choices, it is hard to fault her, knowing only what she knows. The girl shows a lot of courage and growth, but there is definitely a fragile feeling throughout most of the book, as if something could and will go terribly wrong.
The second book, while quickly reconciling any negative feelings towards the guy, brings a sense of urgency back into the plot. While the first book showed the slow bloom of confidence in the girl, the second book covers quick changes, global travel, and a larger cast of characters. All the while, the reader is never truly sure if the guy and the girl will meet up again by the end of the book. When they finally do meet, there is just enough closure to be satisfactory, but plenty is still left open to the interpretation of the reader.
These books handle a lot of different situations very well, and there is very clear character growth throughout both pieces. While some parts might seem a bit far-fetched, the plot stays pretty grounded in reality, which I really appreciated. The characters all seemed real and distinct, and acted (and reacted) like real people to the situations they were presented with. This set of books easily ranks as one of my favorite realistic fiction pieces.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed each of these books. I would definitely recommend reading them, and fairly quickly in succession. Next time, I'll talk about the other two Gayle Forman books that I've read recently.
Until Next Time
