If I Stay by Gayle Forman

If I Stay is a short riveting novel about a young teenage girl and her heartbreaking decision on whether to stay and live or to go to the great beyond after she is involved in a tragic car accident.

Mia is seventeen and a passionate cello player. She has a quirky family with a former punk rock band father that is now a teacher and a strong mother who isn’t afraid to tell people what she thinks. She also has a cute, beloved, younger brother named Teddy. After a snow day is called, the family decides to visit friends and family. Along the way, they are hit by a truck driver. Mia awakes to an out of body experience and sees the tragic outcome of the accident and her own fight for survival.

The novel flashes back and forth between Mia’s struggle for life and the story of her life. She has a great love, her boyfriend Adam, who is a college student in a rock band. Mia’s classical music has won her a scholarship to Juilliard and she is faced with the decision to stay in the state of Washington to be with Adam and her family, or to pursue her dream and move to New York City. This decision causes her much teenage angst, but it is nothing compared to the decision she now faces on whether to live or not.

Although this novel starts out with a bang with tragedy, I found myself riveted and unable to put it down. The story was great, and the characters were vivid and original. I found myself wanting to meet Mia and hang out with her family. Mia was a very relatable teen girl who happened to be in extraordinary circumstances.

If I Stay was chosen for the December pick for my FLICKs Book and Movie Club. It was a great pick and will hopefully lead to some great discussion next week!

Book Source: The Kewaunee Public Library