She--and He--went to Hell

Gayle Forman knows how to SHOW a story.  I'm always telling my students the importance of SHOWING not TELLING a story--really making their audience FEEL what is happening on the page.  Forman has caught that.  Wow.  What makes WHERE SHE WENT even more powerful and wonderful is the fact that it is told from the point of view of Adam whereas IF I STAY is told from Mia's point of view.  I don't remember ever reading books in a series where one book is told from one POV and the next book in the series is told from the POV of another character in the story--albeit a major, important character, but seeing the story through the eyes of that other character....WOW.

Jodi Picoult has a wonderful way of weaving the POVs of several characters within her books and she does it VERY WELL.  So well that for the past ten years, I have pre-purchased every new book of hers which means that I have at least ten years' worth of hard-back books for Picoult.  And I don't regret a single hard-back purchase.  Of course I will continue to do that with her books.

Stephenie Meyer attempted to begin to rewrite the TWILIGHT series through the eyes of Edward in MIDNIGHT SUN--a wonderful foil for having read their story through Bella's eyes, but because the manuscript was leaked during the drafting process, Meyer chose to quit working on the project--much to the dismay of her fans.  As far as I know, she'd be the only author to write the same story from the POV of a different character in the story--and it sell just as well as if not better than the original!  Finish MIDNIGHT SUN, Stephenie!  Please....?!

Adam's story of what has happened after Mia decides to stay is REAL.  Having suffered horrific tragedies within my own life, I GET Adam's fall into hell, but I also GET Mia's rejection.  There is no right or wrong when it comes to Grief.  It is what it is:  powerful; overwhelming; all-consuming; destructive; restorative; devastating; soul-wrenching; and it is NEVER exactly the same from one person to the next.

I can't even begin to imagine exactly what Mia and Adam each go through during this horrific time in their lives, but I do understand the all-consuming grief and how neither one knows how to handle it--what to do with it.

WHERE SHE WENT is a powerful, wonderful, sad, amazing story that is WELL WORTH YOUR TIME TO READ.  Forman is a true storyteller and I, for one, am thankful that she is sharing her stories with me.