Every Day (book)
 | |
| Author | David Levithan |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Adam Abernathy |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy, Young adult fiction, Romance |
| Published | 2012 Knopf Books for Young Readers |
| Media type | |
| 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.
Plot summary
Every Day is about the story of a genderless person who goes by A. Every day, A wakes up in a different body, living in whatever body they wake up for the day. 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 host to the next and, for just 24 hours, replacing its consciousness with their own."[2] A has their own memories but they are also able to tap into the memories of the person whose 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 invites her 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 in Justin's body or another body, as long as they get to be with Rhiannon.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 whose body A inhabited early on who tracks them 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
- A - Our narrator, who is a bodiless spirit. Every day A wakes up in a different body, accessing that persons memories and essentially becoming them for 24 hours before A inhabits another body involuntarily. They do not identify with any gender, and have known no life other than the one they lead.
- Rhiannon - A teenage girl who is Justin's girlfriend and A's romantic interest. At first she is understandably doubtful of what A claims to be their everyday life, but soon realizes that A is who they say they are. While she is happy to know someone like A, she also understands that being in a relationship with someone like A would be impossible. She follows A through many ups and downs in hopes of finding a way for A to stay with her permanently though the reality of that seems impossible.
- Nathan Daldry - The body A inhabits after Justin's. While in Nathan's body, A goes to a party in order to come in contact with Rhiannon the day after he meets her. A is unable to make it back to Nathan's home before the 24 hours is over and leaves Nathan to wake up in his own body, in a car on the shoulder of a road. Nathan, who is a very reserved and religious guy immediately knows that something (namely "Satan" as he puts it) must have taken him over because he would not only never go to a party, he would certainly never spend the night in a car by the side of the road. On his computer, he discovers that A forgot to log out of their personal email so Nathan begins to email A, essentially harassing them to come forth and claim responsibility for what he has done.
- "Justin"- A teenage boy who is Rihannon's boyfriend and thinks every body that A is in is hitting on Rihannon and is wanting to be with her. While in Justin's body, A goes to the beach with Rihannon. The day after the beach A went to the school and talked to Rihannon. Justin doesn't have any memory of being at the beach with her, he just keeps being with her and Rihannon is letting him be rude and verbally abusive to her and her friends, including A, at times.
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.”[2] 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 their 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.'"[4]
References
- 1 2 "EVERY DAY by David Levithan". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
- ↑ Carpenter, Susan (2012-09-01). "Not Just for Kids: 'Every Day' has heart and soul". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2016-01-27.
- ↑ Bruni, Frank (2012-08-23). "Every Day, by David Levithan". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
- ↑ "Reviews of "Every Day" By David Levithan; "Two or Three Things I Forgot to Tell You" By Joyce Carol Oates; "Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone" By Kat Rosenfeld". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2016-01-27.