Book Where a Girl's Family Died After a Car Accident

Forman novel

If I Stay

Author	Gayle Forman
Country	International
Language	English
Genre	Young adult fiction
Publisher	Dutton Penguin
Publication engagement	2009
Media blazon	Print (difficult cover, newspaper back), Audiobook, eBook
Pages	210
ISBN	9780142415436
Followed past	Where She Went
Website	gayleforman.com

If I Stay is a young adult novel^[1] by Gayle Forman published in 2009. The story follows 17-yr-old Mia Hall as she deals with the aftermath of a catastrophic car blow involving her family unit. Mia is the only member of her family unit to survive, and she finds herself in a coma. Through this coma, however, Mia has an out-of-body feel. Through this, she is able to watch the actions around her, as close friends and family get together at the infirmary where she is being treated. The book follows Mia'south stories and the unfolding of her life through a series of flashbacks. Mia finds herself stuck betwixt two worlds: the world of the living, and the earth of those who have moved on. Mia realizes that she must utilize her by and her relationships to make a decision for her future. Her options are to stay with her grandparents and her boyfriend, Adam,and move on and avoid the pain of living without her mother, father, and piddling brother. The novel received positive reviews from the young adult audience, and Summit Entertainment optioned it in December 2010, for a 2014 film adaptation.^[2]

A novel continuing Mia's story, Where She Went, was published in April 2011.^[3]

Plot [edit]

On a snowy day in Portland, Oregon, Mia, her female parent, her begetter, and her picayune blood brother, Teddy, make up one's mind to go for a morning drive. The snow causes their motorcar to swerve into another lane where a car crashes into theirs, causing serious injuries for the entire family. When Mia awakens, she finds herself detached from her body, which is barely property on. She finds the bodies of her mother and begetter, who died from the crash. She also finds her own body, on the brink of death. Mia realizes that she is having an out of body experience, and follows her physical body to the hospital. She watches her extended family rushing to take intendance of her, while her best friend Kim and her young man Adam struggle to reach the hospital. Through her stay at the infirmary, Mia reflects on her life, reminiscing virtually the development of her relationship with Adam, the evolution of her passion and talent for playing the cello, and the obstacles of beingness a teenager who feels out of place no thing where she goes. Mia goes back and forth between deciding whether to stay with her remaining family, as well as Adam, or whether to leave, to exist with her parents and Teddy, who have passed on. Her conclusion is nearly made up to go out until Adam finally reaches the room where her body is being held. He begs her to stay, and at that moment, she sees how her whole futurity would proceed if she was to stay. At that moment, she decides to stay live.

Characters [edit]

• Mia Hall: Mia is a 17-year-former girl living in Oregon. Though she cares securely and has a great deal of beloved for her family, and her beau Adam, the ane place in which Mia feels most secure is when she is playing her cello. Her idol is Ludwig van Beethoven. Mia struggles with a sense of plumbing equipment in, especially among her parents and her younger brother Teddy. While her entire family shares a corking passion for music, Mia stands out every bit the only classical music inclined member. Both of her parents were slap-up promoters of the rock movement. Fifty-fifty her younger blood brother Teddy, while young, is already showing an interest in stone. Mia struggles between the two versions of herself, the version that fits in with her music and the version that longs to fit in and get along easily with her family unit and her boyfriend. Mia struggles to sympathise why her boyfriend, Adam, cares for her the fashion he does. She can't understand how he tin meet past their differences. This poses problems for the two, though their relationship is inherently very strong otherwise.
• Adam Wilde: Mia Hall's boyfriend. He is very handsome and loves music. He plays guitar in the band Meteor, which is apace gaining popularity throughout Oregon. Adam's band is on tour when Mia has her accident, and this tour sets the tone for potential bug with their relationship. Though their love for each other is very stiff, they both seem to be heading in separate directions. It is their love for music that is causing the separation. Mia is because going to Julliard and Adam must stay in the Oregon area to go on playing guitar for his band. Adam loves Mia and would do anything to brand her happy. During Mia's time in the hospital subsequently her accident, Adam does whatever he can to connect with her and wake her from her coma.
• Kim Schein: Mia'southward best friend. Although they originally despised one another when they offset met, they shortly become best friends. They are said to be very alike and are perceived as "night and studious"—assumptions that often piece of work to their advantage. Kim is sarcastic, and obedient to her emotional female parent, upward until her breaking point in which she tells her mother to get her stuff together. Kim's force is depicted through this scene in which she pushes her own feelings bated to be a support system to her best friend. Kim has a private connection to her Jewish heritage, which she doesn't display only relies on when Mia is injured. Despite Mia's attempts to get them to be friends, Kim and Adam are non fond of each. Kim said that their connection is only through Mia, and this connection is clearly strengthened through their ventures to get Adam to Mia when she is in the hospital.
• Teddy Hall: Mia'due south younger brother. Mia is extremely fond of Teddy, saying he is like her own child. Teddy admires Mia and the 2 are very close. The relationship between Mia and Teddy is much closer than the average brother-sister relationship. Mia's vehement protectiveness is shown immediately after the accident. Though information technology'south clear that her mother and begetter's deaths affect her a not bad deal, her immediate concern is over Teddy's well-being. She finds herself depending on her decision on whether to leave or to stay on Teddy's survival. His expiry hits her extremely hard. Teddy's innocence and the loss of this innocent life is a representative of the innocence Mia will lose should she cull to stay in the concrete world.
• Kat Hall: Mia'southward mother, who is "tough as nails, tender as kittens." She loves stone music and her family, of whom she is protective and fiercely loyal. Kat struggles to understand her daughter, who is so unlike herself and the rest of the family. She loves her unconditionally, and does her best to make Mia feel accepted and loved despite the differences between the two. Although she accepts Mia's differences, she encourages Mia to step out of the box and not be agape to try new things. She's honest and undecayed. She tells Mia all of the things she needs to hear, despite whether or not she actually wants to hear them.
• Denny Hall: Mia's father. Denny also possesses a swell love for music and was in a rock band of his ain earlier he became a male parent. Though music was extremely important to him, his family unit was more so, and considering of that he finds information technology easy to move on and "grow upwardly". Mia and her father share a special human relationship and detect themselves connecting equally artists. Mia appreciates who her father is, both as a musician and a lyricist. Though Denny has given himself over to the idea of fatherhood and settling down, he withal clings to his rock and roll cocky, dressing in odd hipster fashions and playing stone music for his family in the motorcar. Denny pushes Mia to be the best musician she can be, and shares a special connectedness with her. He buys Mia her first cello and gives her a pep talk before her first always performance.

Themes [edit]

Choices: The conflict of making choices is a prominent theme in the book. The entire crux of the novel hinges on Mia'southward conclusion most where she will cull to become. Her choices become a reflection of her true character; whether she has the forcefulness to continue in her life without her family, or whether the burden of losing them volition be too much to carry. At that place is also an element of choice throughout many of Mia'due south flashbacks. The choices about whether to go to Juilliard or to stay with Adam. The choices about whether she stays true to her passions of classical music or whether to step outside the box and attempt to immerse herself in the globe of stone.

Life and Death: This is an obvious theme in the book. Mia is confronted by the idea of life versus decease and is given the rare opportunity to choose which she wants to comprehend. She faces death in a very abnormal fashion, dealing with not merely the death of her family but the potential death of herself. She besides must deal with the idea of life, and all the possibilities it tin can bring for her.

Growing Upward: Mia is forced to face the reality of growing up way before her blow, although it becomes much clearer that her life volition require her to grow up very quickly should she choose to stay in the physical globe. Mia struggles with leaving her childhood behind as she reaches the cease of her high schoolhouse career and is on the brink of entering an adult world, where she volition not only exist in a new identify but exist completely alone, where she must fend for herself.

Sequel [edit]

If I Stay is followed by the sequel Where She Went, released in April 2011. The novel picks support years after Mia's accident. This time, however, the novel is told from the perspective of Adam, Mia's (now) ex-boyfriend. The two were going through a difficult time when Mia made the decision to cease her human relationship with Adam and left to become to New York to attend the Juilliard School of Music. The sequel follows their reunion through one nighttime in New York, and takes them on a wild ride that might bring the two back together.^[four]

Reception [edit]

Lyn Rashid of the School Library Journal explained that the novel has "captivating characters" that "will cause [readers] to laugh, weep, and beloved" and "question the boundaries of family unit and love." Mia has a "compelling story" said Rashid.^[5]

In terms of thematic interpretations, Elle Wolterbeek of the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy explained that "[chiliad]usic is an extremely important attribute of the story."^[6]

According to the Thuy On, "The title refers to the boxing between fate and self-volition." The reviewer also agreed that the novel addressed "the tug of familial and sexual love and the bonds between friends as well equally the passion for music."^[7]

Film adaptation [edit]

After the book's success, Forman decided to interact with Summit Amusement to bring the novel to the big screen. In December 2010, it was appear that a film was in the works and that Dakota Fanning, Chloë Grace Moretz, and Emily Browning were in talks to play Mia.^[8] Chloë Grace Moretz eventually ended up securing the role on January 24, 2013. Catherine Hardwicke, manager of the commencement Twilight film, was originally set to straight the film adaptation, but she was eventually replaced by Brazilian filmmaker Heitor Dhalia,^[nine] who also left the picture show later. On January 24, 2013, R.J. Cutler was announced as the new managing director of the film.^[10] In January 2014, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Warner Bros. Pictures were announced to distribute the film, and it was released on August 22, 2014.^[11] The film ended up bringing in near $78 one thousand thousand into box offices.

Bibliography [edit]

• Forman, Gayle. If I Stay: A Novel. New York: Dutton, 2009. Prit.

References [edit]

1. ^ Siegel, Robert (3 January 2011). "'If I Stay': Trapped Betwixt Life and Death". All Things Considered. National Public Radio.
2. ^ "If I Stay reviews". Amazon.com. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
3. ^ Staskiewicz, Keith (24 Baronial 2010). "EW Exclusive: Cover peek for 'Where She Went,' the sequel to 'If I Stay'". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 12 March 2011.
4. ^ https://www.goodreads.com/book/testify/8492825-where-she-went
5. ^ Rashid, Lynn (May 2009). "Forman, Gail. If I Stay. (Immature Adult Review)". School Library Journal. Marriottsville, Dr.: 106.
6. ^ Wolterbeek, Elle (ten March 2011). "If I Stay". Journal of Boyish and Adult Literacy. Tempe, AZ: Arizona Country University. 53 (vii): 616–617.
7. ^ On, Thuy (x March 2011). "Young adult fiction": A2, p. 28.
8. ^ Wilkinson, Amy (nine December 2010). "Dakota Fanning Will Not Star In 'If I Stay'". Hollywood Crush. Archived from the original on half dozen Dec 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
9. ^ Kroll, Justin (20 Oct 2010). "Height asks Dakota Fanning to 'Stay'". Variety . Retrieved 21 November 2013.
10. ^ "Chloe Moretz to Pb Young Developed Accommodation 'If I Stay' from R.J. Cutler". Firstshowing.net. 24 Jan 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
11. ^ "Warner Bros., MGM Partner on YA Motion-picture show 'If I Stay,' Set up 2014 Release". hollywoodreporter.com. nine Jan 2014. Retrieved ten January 2014.

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Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_I_Stay

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