Genre: YA Fiction
Mia Hall had everything. Loving parents, a younger brother, an adoring boyfriend, and a great shot at acceptance to Juilliard for her Cello. Then, while driving to her grandparents house on a snowy day, Mia is in an accident that kills her parents instantly. Now she is having an out-of-body-experience; witnessing the paramedics treat her body as a third person observer. Mia follows the ambulance to a hospital where she discovers she is in critical condition. The doctors do their best but, in the end, Mia is the only person who can decide whether she lives or dies. The book is told through a series of flashbacks in which Mia recalls her childhood with her parents, her little brother, and her grandparents; she thinks about her relationship with her boyfriend, her best friend, and the rest of her non-related family as she contemplates two uncertain futures.
The premise of this novel is an intriguing concept. The readers find themselves contemplating what choice they would make in a similar situation. I, personally, went back and forth on whether I hoped Mia would stay or go. I really like the use of flashbacks; Gayle Forman pieces her main character's life together bit by bit, rather than in chronological order. The frequent real time scenes in the hospital keep the audience engaged In showing how great her life was before the accident, Forman highlights what the protagonist has to gain by staying, and also what she has already lost and would be facing life without. My two criticisms of the novel are: the writing style, and the profanity. I felt the writing style was mediocre. It was pretty simple and straightforward- probably middle school reading level. This is probably because that age range is Forman's target audience, so perhaps I'm a little biased. Additionally, while I don't mind profanity in books (or in real life) I felt Forman used it a bit too liberally. Personally, I feel curse words should be used to underline a person's point or emphasize their emotion. In If I Stay, there was quite a bit of cursing thrown around, but it was not so extreme that it distracted from the story. Overall, the book is good, but not great.
4/5
WARNING: Strong language throughout. Some vague, brief sexual content.
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