Where She Went

Where She Went
Gayle Forman
260 pages

"Her eyes were closed, and her brow was a little furrowed. She was so still, it seemed like she'd taken a brief vacation from her body...I somehow knew then she was listening to music then, was grabbing the notes from the silence...I stood there, riveted by her, until she seemed to wake up and start playing with this intense concentration." 

Four years after the accident, Mia and Adam have gone separate ways.  Mia tries to put the pieces of her life back together as she studies at Julliard, while Adam struggles to find comfort in the whirlwind of his rockstar-celebrity life. By a stroke of chance, the two are brought together for one night, and although their hours are short, together Mia and Adam explore the city, and who they have become.

Gayle Forman's sequel to the New York Times Bestseller If I Stay, is written through Adam's voice, in that raw prose which defines her novels. I enjoyed this change in point of view as it gives the readers details about Adam that were not told in the previous story.

With a setting of New York City, the reader will feel jostled and shuffled about as if on the busy streets with Mia and Adam. Flashbacks are also very common, as they were in If I Stay. Each piece of the past is unique and effective - enlightening the reader in a way to help them understand the story better.

Each chapter is headed with fictional lyrics from Adam's songs and I'd like to share my favorite:
You crossed the water, left me ashore
It killed me enough, but you wanted more
You blew up the bridge, a mad terrorist
Waved from your side, threw me a kiss
I started to follow be realized to late
There was nothing but air beneath my feet

Where She Went is a deeply moving story about the power of true love, and the pieces that make our lives full and whole.