Review: Every Day by David Levithan

 

Title: Every Day by David Levithan
Publisher: Ember
Release Date: September 10th, 2013
Genres: Contemporary, Drama, Romance 
Medium: Paperback, Bought

The first book I ever read by David Levithan was Two Boys Kissing. The novel was great and I was instantly in love with his writing. The emotional depth he puts into his novels, as if he puts full emotional capability behind each word, as if each word was personally chosen to go in that exact place. It makes you feel as if you are reading something deep and personal, intimate because it is so heartfelt and realistic. This novel does not differ from his others. His honest, raw way of writing is still present and is as gripping and heartbreaking as ever.

In this novel, A, basically defined as a human since s/he doesn't specifically have a gender. Every day, A wakes in the body of another person, male or female. A lives through birthdays and anniversaries, deaths and births, relationships and family problems, all belonging to someone else. A must experience these things and use the person's memories to make sure s/he doesn't alter that life. When A goes to sleep each night, s/he faces the reality that s/he will never be in that body again, and will be in a new one come morning. This has always been the same until one day, A is dropped into a life connected to Rhiannon, a girl A ultimately falls in love with. As A is passed around into several lifes, s/he always comes back to find Rhiannon. But when one of the bodies A woke up in realizes what has happened and tries to get answers from A, A must figure out if a relationship with Rhiannon is possible or if he should just move on to the next life.

The plot of this story is pure genious. This story is so in depth and emotionally, and really makes you think. You see how A changes as the novel goes on, and begin to see things differently than before. As usual, David Levithan's writing shows you that love cannot always be characterized as a girl and a boy or a couple with a happy ending. In the words of Aristotle, "Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies." That's it. One soul, two bodies. No further explanation, but David sure strives to explain it himself. And he does it well. And as usual, David Levithan's work showcases a subject normally seen in black and white, but delves deeper into what we would see as the grayscale area. Nothing is black and white, and this story shows this perfectly. David writes of love in many forms and ways, and each time, he leaves your heart feeling lighter and your eyes brighter (and maybe even a little wetter.)

If you are looking for a novel that pushes the limits and challenges you to think, than this is what you need. I know that as a great fan of John Green and David Levithan, their writing can create quite the obsession. So go ahead and grab a copy of Every Day. And after that, read Two Boys Kissing. And after that, read another. And another, and another... Five stars.