There is much to love about good young adult fiction - the possibility is there for character and story and also a form of untrendy mimesis that can be so refreshing. It is lovely to see your world reflected back to you and to enter the head of a character you like to share a little of their life with them. This was very much the case with me and the book "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman; the narrator Mia had a nice take on the world. She's also in a coma after a car crash and in a Lovely Bones sort of way is commenting on her ailing body as it hangs on to life in the ICU. So the novel moves from this to her memories, happy memories of her family, her friend Kim and her boyfriend Adam. The parents are great characters the mum is a rock chick and the dad a reformed punk English teacher. Their life is very ordinary - chats about life while doing the dishes, school and circle of friends and family. The big idea - how do you get over losses that seem insurmountably cruel? - is always interesting, and this book explores it in a gentle compelling way. Almost everyone in the story has a relationship to music, and choosing your music - be it The Ramones or Yo Yo Ma - works as a metaphor for choosing your way. Its a weepy! ... but the sadness feels very honest, and the books explorations of life, love and memory ring true. The writing is lovely - it seems effortless but is understated and artful.
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