Airplane reading usually consists of a mind-numbing, simply for escape book; the kind that I can't stand. My idea of airplane reading is something that I can start and finish in the course of the flight, that keeps me wholly engrossed for however long I will be in transit. As I flew back from New York last night, I sifted through the pile of books in by bag (as I am not able to travel without approximately 8 books) and grabbed the one that everyone has been telling me to read. I've read reviews in Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly and Booklist, I've been told by our book buyer and our Penguin Rep that this is a book not to be missed, and finally, finally I figured out what all the fuss is about.
If I Stay by Gayle Forman is intensely moving and well-written. It may not have been the best choice for an airplane seeing as I kept having to turn away from the person next to me so she couldn't see that I kept tearing up, but as far as living up to my airplane needs it was an overachiever. Not only could I not put it down, I started it and finished on the plane, but I seemed to delve into this world and only look up right before we touched back down in L.A.
The story is one of severe and tragic loss as a start, but through an artful deconstruction of what exactly makes up a life, it is about how we choose to overcome, to move on when we've lost everything, when there is little left to live for. What better time to explore these themes than the present, when loss abounds?
Happy Reading,
Julia
