Book Whore

Book Whore: Every Day by David Levithan

The book's premise is simple--every day the narrator of the story wakes up in a different body and lives a different life. Unfortunately one of those days they meet their perfect match and change the course of life for themselves, the person met and the body they were using.

It's high concept

In some ways the story is similar to "Time Traveler's Wife" in that it has a science fiction/fantasy basis but they never really explain in a meaningful way how this situation came to be--for the narrator this is just what happens and has always happened. The switching of bodies, genders and races leaves the narrator an open book--and plays to Levithan's strength as an author when it comes to the idea of multiculturalism. He creates a million different stories for the bodies that are possessed and also brings up the idea of whether love can withstand anything--when that anything is the person you love changing sex, race, weight everyday.

What I liked about the book was 1) it is sci fi and high concept without too many rules or too complicated an excuse for what we are seeing, 2) Levithan picks and focuses on some very interesting ideas of identity both personal and within the context of a relationship 3) he isn't afraid of real stakes and doing real endings in his work and this is one that gave me pause for both good and bad reasons.

I think it takes a rare talent to have a character with no real details and yet an emotional life so open and interesting that you can overlook the unseen--which to me is a powerful trait for a writer to have.