Just One Day by Gayle Forman
Rating: ★★★
Just one day was just okay. I've used that line far too many times while talking about this book. Let's break it down shall we?
I didn't mind the writing style. I thought it was actually pretty good! I wasn't cringing at cheesy writing as so often happens with YA romances. In this case it was the story and the poor use of Shakespeare that had me cringing.
Forman opened with Shakespeare, so I will start there as well.
"The common curse of mankind, folly and ignorance, be thine in great revenue" (Troilus and Cressida Act 2 Scene 3).
Forman starts this novel by saying "What if Shakespeare had it wrong? To be, or not to be: that is the question... what if Shakespeare -- and Hamlet -- were asking the wrong question? What if the real question is not whether to be, but how to be?" (3).
Okay FIRST OF ALL, Forman assumes that the questions weighing on the main character, Hamlet, reflect the questions weighing on the author, Shakespeare. As an aspiring playwright myself I would like to say: please leave the playwright out of it! If we make our characters suicidal, murderous, or crazy, that does not in fact mean that we are suicidal, murderous, or crazy. Why does everyone assume writing is autobiographical? Stop that.
SECOND, Hamlet's to be or not to be soliloquy has absolutely NOTHING to do with the questions and struggles presented in Just One Day. Hamlet is contemplating suicide. The question is literally asking "should I kill myself or should I continue living". At no point in the novel does our main character, Allyson, contemplate suicide, so starting the book off in this way is just a horrible misstep and completely misleading. If you're going to use Shakespeare, PLEASE, for the sake of thespians everywhere, KNOW WHAT IT MEANS AND USE IT CORRECTLY.
Alright, moving on. The other major issue I had with this book was the plot line. I'm going to get spoilery toward the end of this paragraph, so if you don't want to know the plot of the second half of this book, now would be a good time to stop reading. Thank you for taking in my words thus far.
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I had high hopes for the second half of this book because I had heard that most of the book followed Allyson after her one day fling with this boy in Paris. However, the entire book still revolves around her feelings for him. She goes into a deep depression after returning from Paris, which I could have been okay with if she had gotten out of the depression without returning to Paris in search of this boy. I don't believe you can fall in love with a person in just one day. I believe you can become extremely infatuated, but love is so much deeper than that.
I had high hopes again when Allyson got sidetracked by the wonderful people she met in Paris and surrounding countries. I thought she was going to abandon her search for Willem and just go live her life (finally), but NO the book does in fact end with her showing up at his door. WHY??? What is the point? Was it not enough for her to just find HERSELF? Why does she need to reconnect with this guy who appears to have pretty clearly moved on. Ah I am such a cynic when it comes to love stories... but there you have it.
If you loved this book I'm sorry to have shat on it. It was better than some other YA romances (cough cough All The Bright Places). I hope you won't hate me.
If you haven't read this yet, don't worry about it. It's not worth it. There are so many better stories out their (SHOUTOUT TO ELEANOR AND PARK).
Happy reading book nerds!
