Just One Day by Gayle Forman Essay

Allyson Healey has lived her faultless spirit history in a neat little box mapped tabu by her parents. just during a European tour after senior high school school graduation, she meets an actor named Willem. Theres instant attraction and Allyson is charmed. When Willem invites her to expire one day in Paris with him, she decides to be impulsive for in one case and agrees to accompany him instead of heading to London with her best friend.That day in Paris is magical and Allyson learns to take life as it comes, to pounce on the chances that come her way. But after a night of sex, she wakes up to invent herself alone. Devastated, Allyson returns to London to meet up with her friend, and from on that point to the U.S. where she heads off to college in the fall. What follows is a year of self-discovery and picking up the pieces after Allysons commencement ceremony taste at seizing the day results in disaster.Despite my best intentions to forestall an open mind, I go into novels with expectations. If I Stay and Where She Went were so emotionally visceral and I suppose I expected more of that here. I didnt really stay put it.Maybe it was the pacing. The summer stint in Europe took up more than a third of the novel. That doesnt entrust much room for self-discovery. In truth, what happens is that Allyson spends half of her freshman year in college in a deep depression. She attempts to return to the box outlined for her except finds she no longer fits because shes discovered the world the exists beyond it. This fraudulent scheme affects all aspects of her life. Her once-perfect grades plummet. Her friendships stumble and fail.Of course, all that would earn been fine within the scene of a story if more weight had been given to the idea of self-discovery. or else the shadow of Willem dominated every issue. I just fundamentt get behind the portrayal of a one-night stand derailing someones life so badly. Yes, she was a teenold ager an older one, true, but still a teenager. But heretofore so, Allyson wasnt a virgin. Shed had a boyfriend. Yes, she thought process shed fallen in love. But because of her age, I wasnt convinced. This is my age speaking but we know this story. One-night stands where the girl thinks she has a deep linkup with the guy but the guy acts like he barely even knows her the next morning? Such a common relation. I effect knowing it happens is different from having it in truth happen to you but the entire thing left a bad taste in my mouth.Part of my feelings can be chalked up to the knowledge that Just One solar day is the first half of a duology. The follow-up will be told from Willems run of view. I can already guess how itll go. He didnt actually leave her alone the next morning. He had a reason Hes not an asshole. If Allyson had only waited and had faith in their love, thered been no reason for that year of moping. It was all just a misunderstanding. But if thats the case, I would have liked for Allyson s half of the tale to focus more on self-discovery and globe-trotting, the latter of which takes up less than speed of light pages of the novel.In many ways, I think Just One Day is attempting to replicate the magic of If I Stay and Where She Went. If thats the case, it fails. It didnt have the same romantic and emotional impact. The themes of self-actualization and discovery despite or in spite of life-changing love dont ring as strongly. If thered been more focus on Allyson learning to enjoy life for herself and on her own terms instead of her life being affected by Willem on many levels, maybe I would have enjoyed it more. That, I feel, is the spark missing from this story. Theoretically, I like the idea of chance meetings altering the shape of your life. But what I dislike is that chance meeting get the source of all your sadness, joy, and motivation.