The girl who waited
So after a hiatus that frankly took longer than I'm happy with, I'm back in business as it were. Part of why I took so damn long to "read" this audiobook is because of my frustrating history with it (a couple years back I had to return it to the library before I'd finished; I feel like I've read this book 1 1/2 times). Also, it is way intense. Expect a lot of fluffy reviews after this one.
High school student Mia has a lot going for her. A gifted cello student, she has been accepted to a prestigious music school - and her post-punk-rocker parents couldn't be more happy for her. On a day off, Mia, her parents, and her little brother Teddy decide to take a little road trip, and this is the point where Mia's life takes a sharp U-turn. One devastating car accident later, Mia is jolted out of her own body and experiences the world happening around her as her body is in a coma. Her parents are dead, Teddy's fate is unknown, and everyone Mia knows arrive in the waiting room of the hospital where her body is under care. She must silently come face-to-face with her sweet grandparents, her best friend Kim, and Adam, the boyfriend she thought she'd never have. As the day goes on, she realizes she must make a choice: with her family gone, what should she do? Will she find a way to make life go on, or is it okay to let go?
If you're looking for a book that's big on characterization, look no further. Light on plot, this story puts the emphasis on character interaction and inner growth. We are bombarded with background, told through flashbacks, about Mia's relationship with each of the characters - especially her parents - and how they have made her change as a person. I've never seen a more perfect use of the idea of the "black sheep of the family" trope, and I think that's because it's rather subtle here - it has more to do with Mia's self-perception than anything on her family's part. And the other thing that really got me is how unabashedly awesome Mia's parents are portrayed - her no-nonsense, free-thinking mom and her dry-witted, understanding dad. I didn't want to see this people die, and they're fictional. It all adds up to the main tension of the story: the pain of leaving your family, of knowing they will never come back.
The prose is also well-done, uncluttered and pretty - almost lyrical, but still down-to-earth. Forman is excellent at depicting exciting scenes that glow with warmth and energy; in particular there is one scene where Adam and Mia get intimate with each other by "playing" the guitar and the cello on one another's bodies. Who comes up with something like that? My only quibble is that she doesn't quite succeed at one scene, played out in Mia's present, that is blatantly only there for some comic relief. It just falls flat.
Obviously, this is a story about mortality, and that sets the tone almost from the beginning. But it slowly comes to revolve around Mia contemplating the decision alluded to in the title. Although Forman doesn't draw attention to it, the basis for Mia's decision becomes as important as the decision itself, and is a part of why we care about her. I don't want to spoil anything more, so I'll just say that the entire story kept me on the edge of my seat right up until the last paragraph.
Rating: 4.5 angels out of 5.
If you're looking for a book that's big on characterization, look no further. Light on plot, this story puts the emphasis on character interaction and inner growth. We are bombarded with background, told through flashbacks, about Mia's relationship with each of the characters - especially her parents - and how they have made her change as a person. I've never seen a more perfect use of the idea of the "black sheep of the family" trope, and I think that's because it's rather subtle here - it has more to do with Mia's self-perception than anything on her family's part. And the other thing that really got me is how unabashedly awesome Mia's parents are portrayed - her no-nonsense, free-thinking mom and her dry-witted, understanding dad. I didn't want to see this people die, and they're fictional. It all adds up to the main tension of the story: the pain of leaving your family, of knowing they will never come back.
The prose is also well-done, uncluttered and pretty - almost lyrical, but still down-to-earth. Forman is excellent at depicting exciting scenes that glow with warmth and energy; in particular there is one scene where Adam and Mia get intimate with each other by "playing" the guitar and the cello on one another's bodies. Who comes up with something like that? My only quibble is that she doesn't quite succeed at one scene, played out in Mia's present, that is blatantly only there for some comic relief. It just falls flat.
Obviously, this is a story about mortality, and that sets the tone almost from the beginning. But it slowly comes to revolve around Mia contemplating the decision alluded to in the title. Although Forman doesn't draw attention to it, the basis for Mia's decision becomes as important as the decision itself, and is a part of why we care about her. I don't want to spoil anything more, so I'll just say that the entire story kept me on the edge of my seat right up until the last paragraph.
Rating: 4.5 angels out of 5.
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