If I Stay [Paperback]

Gayle Forman (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 6, 2010

The critically acclaimed, bestselling novel from Gayle Forman, author of Where She Went, Just One Day, and the forthcoming Just One Year.

In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen ­year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heartwrenchingly beautiful, this will change the way you look at life, love, and family. Mia's story will stay with you for a long, long time.


 

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

An Interview with Gayle Forman

Q: You started your career as a journalist and your first book is a travelogue about going around the world. Is YA literature a departure for you?

Gayle Forman: Actually, it’s more of a homecoming. My first writing job was at Seventeen, where I spent five years on staff and as a contributor reporting the magazine’s social-issues stories. I loved writing for teens then because—contrary to popular opinion—they really care about serious issues (from child soldiers in Africa to kids embroiled in the drug war here) and the engage in their reading with such passion. So, now that I’m writing young-adult literature, it feels like I’ve come full circle.

Q: This book explores some serious themes. Why is this a book for kids and not adults?

GF: It’s a book for kids precisely because it explores serious themes. Teenagers are grappling with choices about life and love as much as adults, so why shouldn’t their reading reflect that? I don’t set out to write YA. It just seems like I’m drawn to stories about young people. That said, I think If I Stay is for adults, too. I love the idea of teens reading this book and then handing it off to their parents.

Q: Many key characters are serious musicians, and songs are referenced throughout the book. Are you a musician?

GF: No. Except for piano lessons when I was a kid and a brief spate of guitar playing in my teens, I’ve never played an instrument. I am, however, a huge music fan. And my husband is a musician; he was playing in a punk band when we met, so I’ve spent a lot of my life ensconced in that scene. I seem drawn to writing about musicians, though I’ve never been all that interested in the cello until Mia popped into my head.

Q: What inspired you to write this book?

GF: Music. Oregon. People I have loved. And unfortunately, the book is inspired by a real-life tragedy that happened several years ago.

Q: This is a book about death, but it’s not depressing. Why is that?

GF: Maybe because it’s really about the power of love—of family, friends, music—and therefore it ultimately affirms life.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. The last normal moment that Mia, a talented cellist, can remember is being in the car with her family. Then she is standing outside her body beside their mangled Buick and her parents' corpses, watching herself and her little brother being tended by paramedics. As she ponders her state (Am I dead? I actually have to ask myself this), Mia is whisked away to a hospital, where, her body in a coma, she reflects on the past and tries to decide whether to fight to live. Via Mia's thoughts and flashbacks, Forman (Sisters in Sanity) expertly explores the teenager's life, her passion for classical music and her strong relationships with her family, friends and boyfriend, Adam. Mia's singular perspective (which will recall Alice Sebold's adult novel, The Lovely Bones) also allows for powerful portraits of her friends and family as they cope: Please don't die. If you die, there's going to be one of those cheesy Princess Diana memorials at school, prays Mia's friend Kim. I know you'd hate that kind of thing. Intensely moving, the novel will force readers to take stock of their lives and the people and things that make them worth living. Ages 14–up. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Speak; Reprint edition (April 6, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014241543X
• ISBN-13: 978-0142415436
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (467 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,004 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gayle Forman is an award-winning author and journalist whose articles have appeared in numerous publications, including Seventeen, Cosmopolitan and Elle in the US. She lives in Brooklyn with her family.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

113 of 121 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Bittersweet Memory April 2, 2009

By Mint910 VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

If I Stay is a bittersweet memory of a family and their loved ones. It's told through the eyes of Mia, who watches herself being treated in the hospital as her loved ones surround her. And she has to make the toughest choice of all...

I really love the way the story was told, while Mia is watching over her own body in the hospital she is reminded of memories of her family and friends and through that we got to know them better. It was beautiful how the story of her life unfolds. I absolutely adored her family and friends, everyone was their own character with specific traits and quirks, and what a loving family as well! That made me that much more emotionally invested in the story, they seemed so real.

For as much as this book falls into the heartbreaking and sad category it was actually rather funny at times! It made the book so much easier for me to read. I also loved how much music played a part of the story, Mia with her cello, her boyfriend Adam with his band and her father's days in a band as well. Music was a beautiful background for this story.

All in all a bittersweet and rewarding book! I'm not always one for sad books but recently I've been finding out that there are some I actually really love and this is definitely one of them!

73 of 83 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply amazing. April 2, 2009

By Jenny, Wondrous Reads

Format:Hardcover

I have a feeling that If I Stay may be one of those books that sells millions of copies, wins numerous awards, and inspires people to pick up a pen and tell a story of their own.

It starts off with a lighthearted chapter that showcases the close relationship Mia shares with her Mum, Dad and younger brother Teddy. I instantly fell in love with these four characters, as they reminded me very much of my own parents and sister: happy, fun, and more like friends than family. However, by page eleven, the tone of the book shifts, and everything has changed.

Mia is left staring at her broken body, while her family lie sprawled around her. She finds herself in a kind of limbo, a limbo where she can see, hear and touch, but can't feel anything. From here she must make the difficult decision of staying on Earth and living, or dying and hopefully seeing her family again. This has to be one of the most difficult decisions anyone could ever be faced with, and I applaud Gayle Forman for writing about it so eloquently and vividly.

I loved how the past was interweaved with the present, as this allowed us to get a glimpse into Mia's life before the accident, and to really get to know her. Mia is a strong and appealing character, and one which I think a lot of people will identify with. I also have to mention Adam, Mia's boyfriend. He's caring, thoughtful and the kind of person that we should all get to meet at some point or another. In fact, I think he might be my favourite part of the whole book.

'Just Listen', Adam says with a voice that sounds like shrapnel.

The above sentence is one of my favourites. To imagine that anyone's voice could sound like shrapnel has to be one of the most effective ways to describe someone dealing with unimaginable grief and fear.... If that doesn't make you want to read more, I don't know what will.

If I Stay is moving, touching and beautifully written. It's so gripping that you have to read all two hundred and seven pages in one go, and is sure to be one of the year's most talked about releases. With brilliant characters that easily come to life, as well as a story so memorable and meaningful, I'd say that Gayle Forman is well on her way to Alice Sebold-like superstardom. Read more ›

67 of 77 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One word.....B e a u t i f u l ! April 5, 2009

By Tracy

Format:Hardcover

I can't quite remember where or how I heard of this book, but it sounded interesting and different. When I received this book I was surprised at how short it was, I wondered how can you tell a gripping even interesting story in under 200 pages? *Boy, was I surprised*
I am a 35 year old mother of two who is an avid reader, I'm also a sucker for a love story and just adore YA Books.
I picked up this book Saturday night at 9:30pm and literally read the entire book in one sitting. This book surprised me beyond words. I read the last 3-5 pages through my tears, and when I was done and closed the book the first thought that came to my mind was "this was the most beautiful well written story I've ever read!!!". The story flowed so well, at times I cried and laughed and it really made me think. I read about 20 books a year and this will be a book that I tell ever single person I know to read.
I wish I could write a review for this book that would truly do it justice!

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Total Fail March 7, 2011

By BookJunkie

Format:Paperback

I got this book after reading so many positive reviews, especially since it was compared to "The Lovely Bones" which I loved but this book is nothing like that book. "The Lovely Bones" was so emotionally charged but this book just falls flat, I was half-way through the book yet did not care at all for any of the characters. I agree about the other reviewers' take on the protagonist's parents who were supposed to be all hip and modern (allowing their teens to drink and paying for their contraceptives, freely cursing, etc) but it all came off really badly. It didn't get any better towards the end either and the ending, of course, was predictable.

If you still want to read it, I suggest taking it out from the library which is thankfully what I did. It's not worth the money.

34 of 42 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Not all it's cracked up to be. May 15, 2010

By Books Obsession

Format:Paperback

Mia has a wonderful life: extraordinary and loving family, a genuine boyfriend who loves her, an extreme talent at playing the cello, and a loyal best friend. But during a snowy morning, all that changes. She and her family experience a tragic car crash, and Mia is the only one left alive - just barely. Machines at the hospital are keeping her alive, but it will be her decision whether to keep or let go of life. In the course of exactly one day, Mia relives past memories with her loved ones, while hearing what they have to say to her while she's in a coma. It's a decision she'll have to make on her own.

Hmm...interesting book. It was told mostly in flashbacks, to show the significance of the friends and family that visited Mia in the hospital. The writing was alright - had difficulty sometimes visualizing what was going on. I liked the overall storyline, it was cool reading about Mia being stuck between life and death, but it wasn't screaming creativity. There were a couple funny statements in the book, but it felt out of place since the setting of the book was really depressing.

The basic theme of the story was well portrayed and it was interesting seeing how Mia changed through the course of one day. Her boyfriend goes to extreme measures in order to see her, which I thought was unrealistically sweet. However, even though the story is told in first person, the characters seemed sort of detached. I didn't fall in love with any particular character, or despise another; they seemed to mix in with one another, no one really leaving a mark on me.

I think there was a lot of missing substance in the book, it needed more "meat". Mia's whole family is DEAD...she's a freakin orphan - yet she barely even lets that faze her.... She's too concerned with other thoughts involving her boyfriend or bestfriend, etc. I think the story would have been more realistic and heart-wrenching if the author had actually spent time showing Mia's heartache or breakdown of her terrible loss. There was almost no emotion.

One thing I did love about the book though, was how the author incorporated music in it. Mia's punk-rock and quirky parents were what I enjoyed reading about, and I recognized some of the classical pieces that Mia plays on her cello. Overall, it was a quick and semi-enjoyable read. It wasn't dreadful, but definitely not a favorite either. Read more ›