Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.
There’s
never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made
peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get
too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.
It’s all
fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets
Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A
has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he
wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.
Every day, A has to figure out how far away he is from Rhiannon, and how he can get to see her. And each time they meet, A is someone different. He's the same inside, but his body can be female or male, fat or thin, healthy or unhealthy, light skin or dark skin. He might be blind, speak Chinese or have to walk with crutches. The only thing he knows for sure is that he will always wake up in a body that is close to his age (16yrs).
Each chapter deals with A waking up in a different place, in a different body. The first thing A does is access memories of the person's life. Are they happy, sad, suicidal, angry, timid ? How do they feel about their family and friends? What's going on in their life today, that he has to know about? Do they have a test at school, do they have a boyfriend or girlfriend, do they have access to a car? Because each chapter deals with a full day, I was very aware of the impermanence of A's life. Sometimes, when his "host body" was in a dysfunctional and unhappy family, it was a relief to know he would be leaving that house. But other times, it was heartbreaking to know that A would never experience living with the same people for more than a day. No one would know his past. In fact, A could only live with others in the present. There was no one he could share the past or future with. This was an unbearable fact, once he fell in love with Rhiannon.
I had so many questions after reading this book. What do other people's lives teach you? If A could choose to actually live any of those people's lives, which one would he choose? Could you really love someone who changes every day? Sure, they might be the same on the inside - but is that really enough? What is it that you love about someone? What kind of changes could you handle in someone that you love? A never messed up the person's life. He really respected what was going on for them, and wanted to leave the person's life the way he entered it. How hard would it be to not interfere, especially if you thought it would help?
This is one of my favourite novels of 2012. It's about selflessness, courage and heartbreak. The ultimate love story! Gr 8+
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Sunday, September 30, 2012
Every Day
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
If you
kiss your true love, he will die. This
is what Blue Sargant, daughter of the town psychic has been told all her
life. Blue is used to living with
predictions, but things change when she meets Gansey, a privileged boy who
attends the prestigious Aglionby Academy for Boys. Gansey and his friends (known as the Raven
boys, because of the Raven crest on their school uniforms) are on a quest find
Glendower, a sleeping Welsh king. Legend
holds that whoever finds him will be granted a wish.
Although
Blue doesn’t have the same psychic powers as her mother, she does have the
ability to amplify the messages that come through for her family. It’s for this reason that she annually
accompanied her mother to an old churchyard on St. Mark’s Eve. where the soon-to-be-dead
spirits would walk past. Blue never sees
the spirits herself – until this year, when a boy steps up to her and
speaks. He tells her his name is
Gansey.
What does
this mean? When will Gansey die, and
will it be Blue that causes his death?
Is he her true love? Why is she
so drawn to Gansey and his friends? Blue
has never really believed in true love and the repeated warning from her
mother. But now she isn’t so sure.
I can
imagine this story being handled really poorly by a not-so-great writer. Thankfully, Maggie Stiefvater has done a
great job in presenting well-drawn characters, in this intriguing mystery. I love
this story because the characters are all so different, and yet so vital. Gansey is determined, has dignity, and really
takes care of his friends. Noah doesn’t
say much, seems vulnerable and mostly observes.
Adam is the scholarship student who resents the wealth around him and
doesn’t like handouts. Ronan is the 'bad
boy,' very cynical and angry. And then
there’s Blue, the quiet girl who lives with her psychic family – all women. I think my favourite scenes were the ones
that involved all these women and their predictions. I loved the complexity of their personalities
and the occasional conflicts between them.
They were strong, funny women, who I wanted to learn more about.
The other
part of the story that kept me hooked, was the question of whether or not
Gansey and Blue were destined to be together.
Was he really her true love? Or
was it one of the other boys? Would she
kiss him and therefore cause his death?
Why did she see him on the churchyard path on St. Mark’s Eve? What was the importance of what he said to
her on that road? These were some of the
questions that kept me intrigued.
Magic is
something that should be treated with respect and integrity, and I feel this
author did just that. I loved being
suspended in this world of unexpected friendships, love and impending doom!
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