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A review by kellyhager
I Was Here - Aku Pernah Di Sini by Poppy D. Chusfani, Barokah Ruziati, Gayle Forman
5.0
I am a huge fan of Gayle Forman's and have loved every book she's written from If I Stay on. I mention that to say this: this is her best book yet. By a LOT.
This is a book about friendship and grief. And also, it's about this: you know the tendency we have to define ourselves by our relationships? Like I'm this person's girlfriend or that person's sister or this person's best friend? What happens when that's not true anymore? If you are "Cody, Meg's Best Friend," what does that mean for you now that there's no longer a Meg, so you're no longer anyone's best friend? How do you define yourself then?
And it's also about trying to find closure in a situation where they may not ever be closure, and, too, about the tendency to find someone to blame. The easiest solution is to blame Meg, but Meg's not here. So do you blame yourself? Do you blame the guy who maybe broke her heart? Blame Meg anyway?
But ultimately, it's about figuring out how to keep going when it's the last thing you want to do. (Because really, you don't have much of a choice. You keep going or you die. That's the choice.)
I feel like it would have been very easy for this book to turn into a Lifetime movie and it never did. It's an emotional book---of course it is---but it's never melodrama. I don't think anyone would expect anything less from Gayle Forman, but still.
I don't want to ruin any part of this reading experience for you, so I will end with this: it's a Gayle Forman book, so you know what to expect and you know what she's capable of. You absolutely get all of that with this one.
Highly recommended.
This is a book about friendship and grief. And also, it's about this: you know the tendency we have to define ourselves by our relationships? Like I'm this person's girlfriend or that person's sister or this person's best friend? What happens when that's not true anymore? If you are "Cody, Meg's Best Friend," what does that mean for you now that there's no longer a Meg, so you're no longer anyone's best friend? How do you define yourself then?
And it's also about trying to find closure in a situation where they may not ever be closure, and, too, about the tendency to find someone to blame. The easiest solution is to blame Meg, but Meg's not here. So do you blame yourself? Do you blame the guy who maybe broke her heart? Blame Meg anyway?
But ultimately, it's about figuring out how to keep going when it's the last thing you want to do. (Because really, you don't have much of a choice. You keep going or you die. That's the choice.)
I feel like it would have been very easy for this book to turn into a Lifetime movie and it never did. It's an emotional book---of course it is---but it's never melodrama. I don't think anyone would expect anything less from Gayle Forman, but still.
I don't want to ruin any part of this reading experience for you, so I will end with this: it's a Gayle Forman book, so you know what to expect and you know what she's capable of. You absolutely get all of that with this one.
Highly recommended.