Can people in comas hear us? Can they understand what’s happening around them? Will they remember it when they wake up? That’s the question at the center of this book, and the author cleverly leaves it to us to determine the answer.
Mia and Adam are not your typical high school students. They are both exceptionally gifted in music and mature beyond their years. But otherwise they are complete opposites; from what they wear to the friends they have, even the music they like and the instruments they play. Yet music is such a presence in their lives that it enables them to develop a common language that brings them together.
Their story is told primarily through flashbacks, after a tragic accident, and it’s clear early on that this is not some teenage crush. They don’t waste time on superficial conversations; they explore each other’s passions, beliefs and dreams so thoroughly that they seem to become one. That’s not to say that they ever lose their own identities, they just make room for each other in their souls. I realize how ridiculous that sounds, but I think it can happen with really well-written characters and a talented author. My favorite fictional couple has this same quality about them, where the lines between them sort of blur despite them maintaining their own identities.
That’s how I see Mia and Adam. The depth of their feelings are unusual, but at the same time that intensity feels right given the bonds they share in multiple aspects of life. I don’t know if real people ever experience the intense connection that these characters do, but after reading about how their connection was formed I’d like to think its possible.
This story is told from Mia’s perspective, though she’s in a coma. Is she really remembering? Can she hear what being said around her? Can she feel Adam’s presence? I like to think that if my loved ones were ever in that position they’d be able to hear me, to feel my presence. That good memories and strong bonds will give them the will to live and help them pull through.
Despite the obvious sorrow in this book there are moments of happiness, laughter and of course love, not just between Mia and Adam but between her family, who are as unique in their makeup as Mia and Adam are in theirs. I found myself smiling as much as crying during this read, and ultimately wound up thankful I’ve never had to go through something like this, and appreciative of the little things you sometimes overlook in daily life that seem inconsequential but are critical to making us who we are.
Michele Lenard 