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A review by prodigalstudent
Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead
4.0
There's just something about Rebecca Stead's books. She just writes so beautifully and manages to capture childhood, and adolescence and those teenage years in a way many authors cannot. I think, what I love the most, is the innocence in the writing - you feel like you're truly in the shoes of a young adult, because the way they think is so free of cynicism, and full of curiosity and wonder for the world. I mean, consider this quote:
Love is when you like someone so much that you can't just call it "like", so you have to call it "love".
or even the story about Hermey the elf who wanted to be a dentist so that both Rudolph, the red-nose reindeer and Hermey could be independent together.
This book follows that trend. I do not want to divulge any details of the plot, because in my opinion, it's mostly irrelevant. This reads more like a slice-of-life novel with a few tiny twists and turns. I also need to give the author kudos for the secondary almost anonymous narrative arc she plants in the book. However, I do question whether young adults reading this book would be able to follow along the non-traditional book format. Nevertheless, it's a great novel.
My one criticism is with the epilogue. My issue is not with the scene, but its placement. I just felt that with the themes explored in this novel, it was kind of traditional and disappointing to end it with a romantic scene. Nevertheless, this is still a great book, and I'm glad I read it.
Love is when you like someone so much that you can't just call it "like", so you have to call it "love".
or even the story about Hermey the elf who wanted to be a dentist so that both Rudolph, the red-nose reindeer and Hermey could be independent together.
This book follows that trend. I do not want to divulge any details of the plot, because in my opinion, it's mostly irrelevant. This reads more like a slice-of-life novel with a few tiny twists and turns. I also need to give the author kudos for the secondary almost anonymous narrative arc she plants in the book. However, I do question whether young adults reading this book would be able to follow along the non-traditional book format. Nevertheless, it's a great novel.
My one criticism is with the epilogue