Title: I Was Here
Author: Gayle Forman
Publication details: January 29th 2015 by Simon & Schuster UK
Genre: Contemporary, YA
When her best friend Meg drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how was there no warning? But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her. About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington. About Ben McAllister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, who broke Meg’s heart. And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can’t open—until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend’s death gets thrown into question.
I Was Here is Gayle Forman at her finest, a taut, emotional, and ultimately redemptive story about redefining the meaning of family and finding a way to move forward even in the face of unspeakable loss.
A poignant story of friendship, hope, loss and moving on.
I read I Was Here during my solo travel in Cagbalete Island, Quezon. I know I should've brought a lighter read with me, but this book seemed fitting at the time.
Plot
I Was Here revolves around Cody after her best friend, Meg, took her own life. Meg was okay. She was a people's person. She was enjoying her life, or so it seemed to Cody and everyone.
Life is already difficult for Cody. But when her best friend died, she did not know how to move on. She thought she knew her best friend. She thought Meg was okay.
I Was Here is a thought-provoking read. It touches a lot of subject from family relationships to friendship and romance. And at the center of them is mental health, focusing in the aftermath of a decision.
These are some of take-aways from the book:
- Clinical depression is not to be dealt with lightly. It is a serious medical condition that needs medical attention.
- We do not know what's going on in other people's lives, not even our family's or closest friend's. Each has his or her own battles, so it is NOT up to us to judge them or condemn them for whatever reason. We only need to be kind to everyone, even to strangers.
- Life is not easy. It will never be. But know folks, that we are never alone.
- Our lives matter. Small as we are, yes, but our lives interconnect with others. We may not know how we impact other lives, but we do. You matter.
- Never let go of hope. Hold it dearly for it will get you through a lot. And know, that there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel.
- We have the ability to start over. Do not be afraid to do it if you must.
There are a lot of plot elements woven together to create a moving read. I liked that each speaks a lot on its own and when taken as a whole, it has a stronger message.
As I've briefly mentioned, there's a romance element in the book. I am not really sure how I feel about it, just that thankfully, it did not overpower the main plot. Rather, it helps the main character come into terms with her grief and future.
The thriller element also set a fast pace to my reading. It helps in driving the plot, and makes my reading experience not dragging. Though there's an anti-climactic event, I think it still sends a message to the readers about the nature of a person.
Characters
The characters are well-written. Both the main characters and the secondary ones are three-dimensional. I also liked their dynamics and how each shows different aspects of human nature.
Since I Was Here is a stand-alone, no back stories were given to the secondary characters. However, I think they helped with the overall character and plot developments.
Since I Was Here is a stand-alone, no back stories were given to the secondary characters. However, I think they helped with the overall character and plot developments.
Writing
I have read a number of Gayle Forman's books- If I Stay, Where She Went, Just One Day, Just One Year and Just One Night. All of them, I really liked and enjoyed reading. So I guess it's safe to say that I like the writing style of the author.
Though dealing with hard topics, the author was able to create a bittersweet story without sugar-coating the truths.
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Note: Since it has a sensitive topic and can be triggering, readers suffering from a mental health condition should read this with CAUTION.
Award-winning author and journalist Gayle Forman has written several bestselling novels for young adults, including the Just One Series, I Was Here, Where She Went and the #1 New York Times bestseller If I Stay, which has been translated into more than 40 languages and in 2014 was adapted into a major motion picture.
Gayle published Leave Me, her first novel starring adults in 2016 and her latest novel, I Have Lost My Way, comes out in March of 2018. (Source: Goodreads)