Published in August this year, Every Day spent the majority of summer hovering around my Goodreads’ recommendations. Initially, I avoided it. There was a number of books on my reading list already and, to be honest, the synopsis of the young adult tale didn’t come across as anything that couldn’t wait. But, when the book was resting alone on the shelves of Waterstone’s, it had to be a sign from the literary gods and was therefore shelved ‘to-read’.
David Levithan’s Every Day tells the story of A who, each morning, wakes up in someone else’s body – sometimes a boy’s, sometimes a girl’s. This irregular routine is never questioned until A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Rhiannon – Justin’s girlfriend. From this day forth, A wishes he could make a deal with God and rebels against life to try and be with Rhiannon, every day.
For a story with an unlikely and unrelatable protagonist – how many people out there wake up in different body, 365 days a year? – it unfolds rather well. The bodies of the characters A inhabits, unlike A, are relatable. Readers will seek comfort in goody-two-shoes Nathan and depressed teenager Kelsea – just two of the people A wakes up as in the book. And despite only meeting these characters for twenty-four hours, they are known well via Levithan’s excellent character crafting.
A being without a body enables the illustration of a point many struggle to remember. With no physical attributes, A is known purely on personality. And because A’s happy ending will be undoubtedly rooted from just a few chapters in, it’s clear this character is intended to be loved no matter what shape, size or gender.
The love interest was, as love interests often are, a little predictable. Taken straight from Hollywood, Rhiannon is a classic, confused teenager and although not unappealing, her personality renders no individual style. Although without her, A would never have started questioning why he or she was given a soul without a body or a family. Readers will raise this question this also, and any explanations that I felt were needed, were explained by the book’s final page.
As well as serving up an interesting plot, Levithan leaves some food for thought in regards to society’s daily life. Many spend the day worrying about what tomorrow will bring. But for A, there is no tomorrow, control or continuity. It’s life; there are no deals with God – we need to take what is given and live in the moment.
[rating=4]
