Review: Every Day by David Levithan

Every Day by David Levithan
August 28th, 2012 · Knopf Books for Young Readers
Source: Won
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 336

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

Every morning, A wakes in a different person’s body, a different person’s life. There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

And then A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day

Before Every Day, I had previously read a couple of David Levithan’s novels but never managed to click or make that connection with them. Wanting to give him another go, I decided to take a leap of faith and read Every Day – and what a great decision that was!

Every day, A wakes up in a different body. Gender, race and sexuality orientation are factors which change and vary depending on the person A inhabits for the day. Apart from being 16, A doesn’t know what the day may bring. It’s hard to imagine being in A’s position; to wake up every day in a new body; living like this since you can remember; trapped in a never ending cycle; switching into a new body at the stroke of midnight. With no choice or say in the matter, the way A handles it all is pretty amazing. Another thing I liked was how respectful A is of the people’s lives and bodies he borrows. A could do just about anything – rob a bank, fly to Mexico, party like it’s 1999, get drunk (avoiding the hangover) – yet A sets rules and boundaries and tries to live each day as normal as possible – until A meets Rhiannon that is (though even then there are restrictions).

Rhiannon is the girl in the background; quiet, not the type to draw attention and a follower rather than a leader. She’s caring, sweet and has a big heart. I can see why it was easy for A to fall for her and hard; she's a likeable character, plus there's an undeniable connection between the two (even taking into conderation the situation).

We’ve all heard the saying it’s what’s on the inside that counts and that is demonstrated time and time again in Every Day. If you think about it, our appearance is our shell but take that away and what do you have? A stunning and thought-provoking story that is sure to stop you in your tracks and make you think.

5/5