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Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (view source)
Revision as of 09:55, 26 August 2020
, 09:55, 26 August 2020no edit summary
Roll forward to the end of the first chapter and Samantha 'Sam' Kingston is dead, following some unfortunate choices at a rather wild party. For her friends and family, and for Sam too of course, things will never be the same again. Except...the very next day things are precisely that: the same. Sam awakes and goes about her day, but the previous night hasn't all been a dream as she realises she has woken up not the day ''after'' the accident, but the day ''of'' it. Feeling as though she's been given a second chance, Sam tries to change the fateful future she has already seen. The next day, though, she awakes once more to find it is the day of the accident yet again. As the week passes, and she goes through various stages of denial in trying to deal with her rather unique situation, the question remains: will she be able to do enough to change the course of history, or will she be doomed to repeat it, living that fateful day over and over again?
Snow delays and long haul flights meant I read this book pretty much in one single sitting, but even if I hadn't been locked in a tin can zooming across the Atlantic I doubt I'd have made it last much longer. I thought it was simply superb, from the excellent characterisation to the ever -changing reactions Sam had to the same situation which seemed perfectly understandable (and perfectly sequenced) given her predicament.
There are many things that could have gone wrong with this book: Sam's discovery of who she is and who she wants to be could have been dripping in sentiment in an all too sickly way, the death(s) could have been too gory, the representation of cliquey teen life too over the top. Happily, the author avoids all these pitfalls to create a startling piece of writing that is utterly believable and beautifully told.
Thanks go to the publishers for sending us this book.
[[Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher]] takes another stab at the world of untimely teenage death, with promising results. [[The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold]] is a not dissimilar story that might also appeal, though personally I found ''Before I Fall'' a tad more readable. If you like to suspend belief of what is possible in the worlds of time and space, [[The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger]] is also worth a look, but start with this one first, it really is the best of the bunch. We can also recommend [[Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver]].
{{amazontext|amazon=0340980893}}
|name=Nigethan Sathiyalingam
|verb= said
|comment= This was easily my book of the year! I don't usually read this type of fiction, but I picked it up on a whim, and boy was I glad I did. I planned to read the book over a 12 -hour flight, but after tasting the first few chapters at home, I abandoned my family in the packing of suitcases, and just devoured it. I really love your review - you put into words exactly what I felt about the book, especially where you compare reading about Sam with watching a child learn a new skill. One of the most uplifting and inspiring novels I've ever had the pleasure to read - I second the recommendation: If you only read one book this year, it should be this one.
}}
[[Category:General Fiction]]
[[Category:Teens]]