Every Day by David Levithan
Every day, A. wakes up in a new body. It's always been like that, and for that entire day, A. lives the life of that person. A. takes over the conscious actions of a boy or girl, always the same age-- currently 16-- as A. is, and the next day, that boy or girl wakes up with vague memories of the day while A. has moved on to some new, random person.
Author David Levithan has created an entirely original novel and character in A., who early in the book falls for a girl named Rhiannon while A. is in the body of her not necessarily nice boyfriend. A. begins to change the day-to-day activities of almost every new person in an attempt to continue seeing Rhiannon, but it seems a doomed effort given the complications of being someone new every day.
The refreshing part of this book is Levithan's mostly unspoken question about whether love is tied to gender, or anything else for that matter. Do you love the spirit of the person, the essential goodness of the soul, or do you love the physical appearance? The gender? As A. and Rhiannon struggle with this, Levithan finds subtle ways to make the existential question pertinent and relevant.
Given our society's current struggles with, and increasing acceptance of, gay marriage and equality, this is a timely topic. Levithan handles it deftly and with great sensitivity and tenderness. A.'s existence and future remain unresolved, and no real answers are provided there. But the larger parable of A.'s story makes for worthwhile discussion regardless of the questions of whether A.'s story is entirely plausible. This is a wonderful story of tolerance and respect that should be available to all. Highly recommended.
Author David Levithan has created an entirely original novel and character in A., who early in the book falls for a girl named Rhiannon while A. is in the body of her not necessarily nice boyfriend. A. begins to change the day-to-day activities of almost every new person in an attempt to continue seeing Rhiannon, but it seems a doomed effort given the complications of being someone new every day.
The refreshing part of this book is Levithan's mostly unspoken question about whether love is tied to gender, or anything else for that matter. Do you love the spirit of the person, the essential goodness of the soul, or do you love the physical appearance? The gender? As A. and Rhiannon struggle with this, Levithan finds subtle ways to make the existential question pertinent and relevant.
Given our society's current struggles with, and increasing acceptance of, gay marriage and equality, this is a timely topic. Levithan handles it deftly and with great sensitivity and tenderness. A.'s existence and future remain unresolved, and no real answers are provided there. But the larger parable of A.'s story makes for worthwhile discussion regardless of the questions of whether A.'s story is entirely plausible. This is a wonderful story of tolerance and respect that should be available to all. Highly recommended.
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