Fan Experience of If I Stay

Haley Moses

Book 1 Project

 Stay: The spin-off to If I Stay by Gale Forman

We all have come to know and love the heart-wrenching novel titled If I Stay by Gayle Forman. Yes, there are sequels to the book. And yes, almost everyone who read the first book in the series is bound to continue with the second. But what we’re offering here is much different than the sequel called Where She Went. A book was written after If I Stay, we can call it the 1 and a half book in the series.

                 Stay is a spin-off to the familiar novel If I Stay. This spin off is the plot line of the original book, but seen through the eyes of a different character in the story; Adam. In If I Stay Mia’s boyfriend, Adam, is one of the most important people in her life. Mia describes Adam as nothing short of incredible throughout the entire book. Mia says, “I looked at Adams face, and felt this surge of love, lust and unfamiliar feeling of power. I had never known that I could feel this way.” (61 Forman). Adam becomes Mia’s family, and her long love. Everyone that is close to Mia and Adam can recognize their passion. We see Adam’s passion for Mia and his urge to be able to see her really come alive when he devising plans to break into the ICU. After many ridiculous ideas (such as dressing up as nurses), Adam became willing to go to jail just to be able to see Mia in the ICU, to be able to hold her once again. And when Adam finally reaches Mia, he professes his love by saying, “I want you to stay more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.” (181 Forman). The book Stay allows the reader to fall into Adams thoughts and logic as the apple of his eye is holding on to her life.  As an outside view on the novel If I Stay, we see the unbearable pain that Mia is describing if she were to lose Adam. She says, “Adam is a different story. Remembering Adam would be like losing him all over again, and I am not sure if I can bear that on top of everything else.” (217 Forman). Mia wouldn’t have to live without Adam, Adam would have to live without Mia. I don’t know about the rest of the audience, but I think that Adam’s loss would be even harder to cope with. The book Stay brings the reader along the thoughts of Adam, the hopeless romantic who couldn’t go a day knowing that Mia is no longer there to filter her sarcasm and compliment him on his music. While reading this novel, the text carries the reader on an amazing journey; a journey of love, disaster, heartbreak, agony, and emotions. Not to criticize one of my favorite new novels, but Forman does not give Adam the recognition he deserves in the original book. Adam is the co-leading character in the book, and as a reader, at times it became hard to feel the deep emotions and curious thoughts of the infamous, idolized Adam. The new novel titled Stay, respects the original version but manages to drag the reader through a whole new expedition of a boy who struggles to find hope while the love of his life lies unconscious on a hospital bed.

                Stay is the perfect way for the avid ‘Gayle Forman readers’ to stay involved with the series and see the story lines that they love from a new, breathtaking point of view. Because of the audience that was already formed brilliantly with the first novel and the suspenseful plot that could draw in anyone that reads, the new novel, Stay, will sell fast. Get one while you can!

What is a Book?

What is a book?

A book is an object that contains stories, ideas, perspectives, and emotions. On the outside, a book is just a use of paper, joined together by 2 covers. It has about as much value as a brick, holding volume but not having a lot value by the individual.

But on the inside, a book is priceless. A book can allow a reader to escape from their reality, and spark their imagination. A book initiates creativity and cognitive thinking. I believe that everyone visualizes books in different ways. The same book can be perceived completely differently as it gets passed on from person to person. I strongly agree with Joe Meno when he was sharing how he thought that book resembles a place, a place that allows the reader to engage in active imagining, connecting these words to bigger, self-generated ideas. A book allows the reader to almost create their own story and visualize the book how they want it to be. An author creates multiple points of view within one novel. No matter the way a book is presented, (hard copy, electronic, orally) the words remain the same, and the words are the only things that matter while reading through your favorite novel.

 

Q: Does the electronic version of book differ from the hard copy?

A: My answer to this question is yes. They obviously differ. One has paper and one is read on a screen. But other than that they are virtually the same. The words within the two versions are exact replicas. So who cares how its read? If someone prefers the convenience of a book located on their phone, that’s awesome. If someone else would rather be able to smell the pages of an old book as they read, that’s just as great. Don’t judge a reader by their book style.