Saturday, April 16, 2011

Where She Went - Gayle Forman


Back in February, I read Gayle Forman's If I Stay. I felt bad for not liking it. The book had a good conclusion, and I would never have guessed there would be a sequel. But there is.

Where She Went is Adam's story. It takes place 3 years after Mia wakes up from her coma. She's a rising cellist, and Adam's a rock star with his band, Shooting Star.

In If I Stay, Adam wants Mia to live. He tells her, while she's in her coma; If you stay, I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll quit the band; go with you to New York. But if you need me to go away, I’ll do that too. .. And that would suck, but I’ll do it. I can lose you like that, if I don’t lose you today. I’ll let you go. If you stay. Well she heard him. And she takes me up on his promise. The problem is, he doesn't know this. 


Mia goes off to New York and Julliard. Adam is in LA. At first they keep in touch, but suddenly Mia cuts Adam out of her life. Where She Went shows how this affected Adam. He's devastated. He spent 5 months helping her get better, and she leaves him, with no explanation.


Where She Went begins with Adam going to New York. It's the day before he's due to leave for London and his band's European tour. You can see how he's changed over the past 3 years. He exists, he doesn't live. As fate would have it, he runs into Mia. They spend the evening together exploring New York, not once discussing the past, until he cannot hold it in any longer and lashes out at her, and the pain she caused.


Like it's predecessor, the book bounces from the present to the past. We see the changes Adam went through over the years. So I didn't cry in this one either, but it touched me more than Mia's story. I found this one to be more real. (Ok, the teacher in me hates that last sentence, more real, but I can't think of a better way to express it)


If you liked the first book, grab this one. If you're like me and didn't like the first one, forget what you know and take a chance. You'll enjoy this one, and by the end of the book, you'll appreciate Mia. She's grown. And if you've never read the 1st book, don't worry. Where She Went is written in such a way, that although it's a sequel, you don't have to have read it's predecessor to be able to follow this one. I'm glad I decided to read this one, it made me appreciate Adam and Mia and brought a sense of closure. I'm still not crazy about If I Stay, but I appreciate the story.

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