Friday, December 14, 2007 ; 12:24 AM♥
-lyeziyi[:
Book review--When i was older
Author: Garret Freymann-Weyr
Title: When I was older
This story is about a 15-year-old girl called Sophie. As the title suggest, it is about how Sophie is going to grow up and being more mature, acceptance to things, and get older when the time that passes. Everything started with her little brother, Erhart died of leukemia two years ago, five days before his eighth birthday. As she was still young when Erhart died, she kept and had very little memories of him. She misses him and still cannot accept the fact that he has left her. Therefore, she carries out on-purpose memory twice a day, to remember Erhart and their happy moments like, calling each other twins. However, she can only remember the part when he was going to die. And she thinks that thinking of Erhart accidentally, when it is not the time for on purpose memory, is disrespectful, so she also tries to avoid bringing him into conversations and avoid the word “die”. She kept things that belong to him in order to think of him when there is an on purpose memory. Unfortunately, her memories of him are beginning to slip away as time passes by. She was depressed by then. She got worse when she realized that Erhart stays the same, but time changes her. To her, he will always be not quite eight, but she will keep getting older—and her life will keep changing.
Everybody told her that time would heal when Erhart died. However, she thinks that time did nothing great to her after a few years since Erhart died. Here is what she thought time has done so far: Boys whom she used to be friends with call her up for dates instead and her ambition has changed. She thinks that time has changed everything around her but does not help her remember Erhart. Her father had an affair and did wrong things, including being thrown out after Erhart died, and this makes him impossible to know about that, or their parents have split up. What had happened made her dislike time. She does not know how she will cope until she meets Francis.
Francis is her mother boy friend’s son. Francis is in the same state with Sophie. His mother died when it was a few weeks before he was eight. To remember his mother, he tattooed a teardrop on his face. Instead of disgusted by that, Sophie loves that tattoo. She can understand how he feels and so, she thinks that the tattoo is great. She confides in Francis about Erhart, and everything that was bothering her for years. Francis was a mature and great guy who had got over with his mother death, labeling that his mom’s death is his live. Sophie did not understand him at the beginning as she thinks that Erhart is an on purpose memory, instead of her, being part of the memory. She had finally understood Francis after being with him for a period of time when he taught Sophie a lot about losing someone and saving memories. She had also begun to forgive and understand her father better.They started out as friends, but soon Sophie realized that Francis wants to be her boyfriend too. She could not accept that fact at the start as she considered girls who date and rely on boyfriends are A-girls(her way of classifying them). She did not want to be one and so, she did not accept dates from boys. However, after Francis told her about love, dating and encouraged her, listen and talk to her, she starts to accept everything. She gave herself permission to grow up and also gave Francis a chance to be her boyfriend.
This novel is well-written as it explores emotions of a normal young girl who is experiencing love, loss and transition while growing up. This novel is suitable for teenagers. It is a very touching love story of a growing teenager. I love this novel. I hope you would like the story after reading my summary! :D
Labels: Book review--When i was older