Can you imagine waking up in a new body, as a new person, just the same as you have every other day for your whole life? Having to be this person, someone you don’t know, for a whole day? Not having a body or life to call your own? In David Levithan’s book “Every Day,” the character named A has been going through this for its whole life, unsure of who it really is.
Title: “Every Day”
Author: David Levithan
Publication date: 2012
Genre: YA Romance
Pages: 336
Summary: There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere. It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally, A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.
About the author: David Levithan is an award-winning author of young adult fiction books, most famously “Boy Meets Boy” and “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.” Some of his books have turned into movies, perhaps the most famous being “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.”
Memorable quotes: “I turn back. I keep turning back to see her. Even when there are walls between us. Even when there are miles between us. I keep turning back. I keep turning in her direction.”
When I first read this book, possibly half a year after it came out, I loved it. Younger me was gravitating to “insta-love” stories, and the interesting body invader-type plot added a quirky twist to it. Re-reading it now, around a year and a half later, I found myself not enjoying it as much as I had before.
The romance plot I had once gushed over before, seemed… Creepy. A is basically using his* hosts to stalk Rhiannon. That’s almost the entire love story. In doing so, A violates his hosts’ bodies and lives. This goes against the rules A had set for himself, what kept him going. Not only does he violate his hosts, he violates Rhiannon and her wishes. He didn’t respect that she said no and couldn’t get over his situation.
In the story, A is 16. At 16, an “insta-love” is common, being young and not quite sure what love really is. A is even more unsure than most of what love really is, having no one to call his. I feel this is why A was so hung up on getting Rhiannon to date him, but it doesn’t make it right. Another reason I think he bonded with her so quickly was that Rhiannon represents things he wants and can’t have: a body, a life and love.
Besides the romance, the book also tackles some tough situations through the hosts A goes through. A inhabits an over-weight boy, an addict, a mean girl, and a deeply depressed girl to name a few. While I think the diversity is great, and that Levithan did try to make acceptance a big role in the book, it didn’t quite come off as well as I’m sure he would have liked. A, despite being able to inhabit any person and thinking of himself as accepting, is extremely judgmental. A gets very angry with Rhiannon for not having his same views, and he has rude thoughts about some of the bodies he is in. Levithan surely meant well, but he did inforce some negative prejudices about these situations, maybe attempting to make A ironically have human flaws, but for a book that is focused on acceptance, there were times it was more “acceptance when it matters” not “acceptance for everyone.”
My biggest complaint about the book was that it didn’t fully explain about A’s situation. It gave us snippets of it, but I would have liked for it to explain more. If Levithan didn’t explain it thoroughly for his readers, how is Rhiannon ok with it very quickly? It was confusing and definitely didn’t help the book.
Despite these things, I would recommend it. Even though it has low parts, it was still an intriguing book. While my mind has changed in the time between the first and second reading, the book still leaves you wanting more. I fully recommend it for people who are fans of “insta-love” stories, or just quirky plot lines. Levithan’s book is very well written, and even the most critical of reviews can admit that there are many quotable lines. “Every Day” is a book that makes you feel things, and I think that makes it deserving of a chance.
You can get a sample of two of Levithan’s books in the HC Back to School Giveaway, check our social media for upcoming dates.