Every Day (book)

Every Day
Cover photo of young people floating/falling from the sky.
Author David Levithan
Cover artist Adam Abernathy
Country United States
Language English
Genre Fantasy, Young-adult Fiction, Romance
Publisher Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication date
2012
Media type Print
Pages 384
ISBN 978-0307931894
Preceded by Six Earlier Days

Every Day is a young adult fiction romance and fantasy novel written by David Levithan. It was published in 2012 by Knopf Books for Young Readers, and is recommended for ages 14–18.[1] Prequel Six Earlier Days (available only digitally) and companion Another Day complete this trilogy in the world Levithan creates for his readers. Every Day is a New York Times bestseller.

Physically, the book is 384 pages, and measures 5.78(w) x 8.04(h) x 0.82(d) inches.[2]

Plot summary

Every Day follows the story of a genderless person who goes by A. As described by Frank Bruni of The New York Times , " A. doesn’t have a real name, presumably because they don't have a real existence: they're not a person, at least not in any conventional sense, but a spirit, switching without choice from one teenage host to the next and, for just 24 hours, replacing its soul and consciousness with their own."[3] Every day, A wakes up in a different body, living the life of whatever body they have inhabited for the day. A has their own memories and even a personal email account but they are also able to tap into the memories of the person who's body they are in, though only for a short time since they can only inhabit that specific body for 24 hours.

The story begins as a day just like any other, with A waking up in the body of a teenage boy named Justin. Upon arriving to school, A meets Justin's girlfriend Rhiannon and feels an instant connection to her. Based on memories A can tap into from Justin's brain, A can tell that Justin and Rhiannon are having a rough time in their relationship, so in order to learn more about her A suggests going to the beach. The pair head off and enjoy a beautiful day of relaxation as well as share a conversation in which they open up to each other, though A's sharing is limited and very carefully worded. A had never felt such a connection with anyone before so they begin to wonder about how they can make themselves stay, whether that's in Justin's body or another body, as long as they get to be with Rhiannon. But A has no idea if that would be possible, and if it were, A wouldn't even know where to start.

The conflict then arises in multiple areas. Firstly, A has to convince Rhiannon that the day shared at the beach was not between her and Justin, rather it was between her and A. Almost every body A wakes up in after their day as Justin is spent trying to figure out the best way to approach Rhiannon since they are luckily never more than just a car ride away. After going through some trouble, A is finally able to convince Rhiannon of who they are and the phenomenon they live through every day. While she does believe A and understand how hard that can be, she also realizes that she cannot be in a relationship with A even if she may want to.

As the story progresses we follow A as they wake up in body after body, each life more different than the last. A deals with trying to stay away from a boy who's body A inhabited early on who tracks him down in order to gain answers as to who A is and how they were able to take over his body and mind, a priest working with that boy who starts a following on the news about people who inhabit the bodies of others, all while trying to figure out a way to stay with Rhiannon.

Characters

Critical reception

Every Day has received many positive reviews like one from Kirkus Reviews which claimed, "Levithan’s self-conscious, analytical style marries perfectly with the plot. His musings on love, longing and human nature knit seamlessly with A’s journey. Readers will devour his trademark poetic wordplay and cadences that feel as fresh as they were when he wrote Boy Meets Boy (2003)."[1] Susan Carpenter of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "It’s the rare book that challenges gender presumptions in a way that’s as entertaining as it is unexpected and, perhaps most important, that’s relatable to teens who may not think they need sensitivity training when it comes to sexual orientation and the nature of true love. Every Day is precisely such a book ... A story that is always alluring, oftentimes humorous and much like love itself — splendorous.”[4] Frank Bruni of The New York Times had this to say of Every Day, "It demonstrates Levithan’s talent for empathy, which is paired in the best parts of the book with a persuasive optimism about the odds for happiness and for true love. 'The only way to keep going,' he writes, 'is to see every person as a possibility.' For A., with his daily transformations, that’s an absolute necessity. For the rest of us, it’s still a fine idea."[3] Chelsey Philpot of The Boston Globe remarked, "The ending is abrupt and leaves you wishing for more explanations...But maybe it only feels that way because we’re not ready to let A go. Through A’s eyes readers get to experience what it would be like to be someone different but the same. As A explains to Rhiannon, '…when who you are changes every day you get to touch the universal more.'"[5]

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, March 20, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.