If I Stay brings a deep, poignant look at a life on the edge—the edge of living and the edge of ending. Although written to cover just a day or so in Mia’s life, most of the story involves Mia thinking back on her past, brief as it is for this girl, just a high school senior.
I was skeptical about picking this book up (okay, about downloading it to my Kindle (we’re going to have to change our whole lingo, eh?)) as it’s lumped in the Young Adult genre. Too often, books in the genre include those with clunky writing, probably churned out much too quickly without enough regard to depth of characters and the strength of words to truly paint a picture. But this book pleasantly surprised. No, it did more. This book is good: it made me think, feel, and hope.
I suppose this qualifies as “Young Adult” because the protagonist is just that—barely eighteen. And I’m sure that all of my nieces would enjoy the story, if we see “young adult” novels as written not only about that age but for that age. That said, the story is anything but that of a typical teenager. It is this added layer of grief, sorrow, and pain that should allow all adults to connect to Mia’s story.
Admittedly, I shed more than one tear as I spent this day with Mia, this day that she recalled her life’s highlights involving finding love, nurturing a special friendship, allowing her talent to blossom, and cherishing her quirky family. A lump stayed in my chest every time Mia’s memories faded and the core story came back into focus: whether or not Mia would live or die. My heart ached for either outcome. Neither would be good. Both would be tragic.
What would any of us decide in the same situation? I think I know, but I cannot be certain. And it is that question, left in the reader, that takes If I Stay from an enjoyable easy read to actually a good book.