I really liked "You Know Where to Find Me" but gosh, it made me sad. I kept wanting Laura to be alive, for them to see what was happening and save her. I feel this way about any book or movie where someone dies. I am not very good at letting go of fictional characters. Imagine how this translates into real life. (And, not to dwell on Twilight more than I normally do, but for everyone who hated Breaking Dawn, she would have had to pull a J.K Rowling and kill people for a more believable ending, and dammit, I am attached to those characters, so if it requires a weird out-of-nowhere plot line so be it.)
That being said, Miles annoyed the heck out of me for a lot of the book. Firstly, what possessed her to think Jim would throw her out? She is the closest link left to Laura, and from what we are shown about his character, throwing her out seems like the last thing he would ever do. He even tolerated her father's trailer. Then again she was high most of the time, so perhaps the paranoia was from that.
I liked (in terms of what's good for teens to read, I guess) how Laura seemed to be the one who had everything. Laura was the pretty one, the rich one, the popular one, the smart one who went to the good schools and was going to college. And Miles was the one who (in teenage land) had nothing, but Miles is the one who is strong enough to step back off the cliff and Laura couldn't stop herself from falling over. That's probably something everyone needs to realize, adults and teens, sometimes it's not about how you look or who people think you are, it's about what it feels like.
As sad as it made me that Laura couldn't be saved, it made me equally happy that Miles seemed like she would be. And, it was also good that she got to see that people really did care about her. It seemed realistic too that Jamal got mad at her and was tired of it, that seems like a very genuine reaction. I think I'd be annoyed if someone I care about was letting themself sink.
I can understand Miles though--I would guess that everyone (especially teenagers) at some point in their lives has felt irrelevant. Hm...maybe not irrelevant, but so insubstantial, like being there or not doesn't matter, no one will miss me when I'm gone. But, that's never true. There's always someone, and it's good that Miles (imperfect as she is) gets to see how many people do care about her. Maybe it could show someone else that someone cares about them too.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
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3 comments:
Yes, Miles way waaay too whiny, it made me dislike her and the first few chapters of the book. Oh and are you going to ALWAYS refer to Twilight?????
YES. I think Twilight is relevant to EVERYTHING. In fact I am going to rename my blog to all roads lead to twilight and I am going to reference it in every post for the rest of the semester!
hahaha. Probably not...but that would be something wouldn't it?
First, I think you should totally dwell on Twilight as much as possible--especially since that's what most readers do.
YKWTFM is completely sad from top to bottom: the suicide, the drugs, the sadness the family feels as a result of the suicide, the Washington DC landscape, the depressing bookstore...it's all there, and it's all part of Miles's world. Keep in mind, though, that this is from her perspective, and therefore not necessarily what is truly happening. It's what she sees, which is from a depressed, messed-up perspective, and that's why the book is told the way it is.
Parts of this book I actually found kind of funny, especially when Miles' smart alecky sense of humor came through. It was like you get a glimpse of what she could be if she could lose the sadness. I think the sadness and insecurity is what propelled her to make bad decisions, to feel unsure of herself and her environment.
As for the whiney comment, I think this may just be a sign that one person may like this book and another may not. It could also signal a preference of a particular genre, which is totally fine on a personal level. But when it comes to doing readers advisory in the library and recommending stuff to teens, it's really important to keep in mind that books like this do touch readers, and just because you don't like a book (or find a character whiny) doesn't mean someone won't love her or want to save her.
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