Everyday

Everyday by David Levithan

It always thrills me when one of my kids says, “Hey mom, I think you should read this book.  You’d really like it”.  It makes me feel connected to them in several ways.  One is that they are sharing my love of reading but the second is that the books they usually have chosen reflect that they understand something about me and what I like to read.  That means a lot when you are living with young adults, who will always be your babies.  

Recently, my almost 21 year old suggested I read the book Everyday.  She said she knew I liked books about time travel and this was kind of like that, in a way.   She was right, I did like the book and before she was born, I used to love the show Quantum Leap, although she didn’t know about that one.   The book is a “Quantum Leap” style story where, “A” wakes ups as a different person everyday.  He is always the same approximate age but his gender and location can vary.  He spends one day in the life of another person before moving on to a new body the next morning.  He is able to access his own memories as well as the person he inhabits.  This has been all he has ever known and until recently he had accepted it and chosen to never get attached or develop relationships.  One encounter changes that.

He meets a young girl and everything changes.  He wants to know her better, he wants to see her again and he begins a quest to see her again and for the first time in his life, he must share his story and his life.  Of course, it is difficult for anyone to believe but after a few meetings, she is able to be convinced that he is speaking the truth.  

This book, will keep you guessing but it will also challenge you to think about what really matters about a person.  What it means to look beyond the external and how difficult that can actually be.  It is a quick read and one that will keep you thinking about the outcome and the way you interact with those you encounter differently.   The next time my daughter says, “Hey mom, I think you should your this book.  You’d really like it”, you can bet, I’ll be heading to the nearest library to check it out.  Connections made over books, can be some of the foundational of that ever tumultuous relationship of two adult women learning how to be independent, yet knowing they can depend on each other.