If I Stay (2009) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

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Summary edit see section history

Characters edit see section history

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• Mia Hall: Mia is seventeen years old, and a talented cellist. She is in love with her boyfriend, Adam. Mia feels awkward, like she doesn't belong with her rock star boyfriend. Although her physical self is in a coma, another part of her can still see, hear, and feel her surroundings. She hovers in a ghost-like state, and has to decide whether or not to stay in this life, despite her great loss
• Adam: Adam is Mia's guitarist boyfriend who plays in a band called Shooting Star. He loves and cares for Mia very much and would do anything for her
• Kim: Mia's best friend. She is Jewish, and looks very similar to Mia. Mia and Kim met in the 6th grade and at first hated each other. They were always put together for everything, and soon became the best of friends, though she doesn't like Adam, but bonds with him over Mia's accident
• Gran: Mia's grandmother. Believes in angels, and that animals are often re-incarnated versions of her deceased loved ones.
• Gramps: Mia's grandfather. A caring, yet quiet man. He drives Mia to her Julliard audition.
• Henry: Played in the band with Mia's dad, is a great family friend and married to Willow, has a young daughter.
• Teddy: Mia's 8 year old brother. He's like most 8 year olds. Crazy and loves Spongebob.
• Brooke Vega: A lead singer from a fictitious band called Bikini.
• Willow: Mia's mother's closest friend. Married to Henry, and mother of one child. A pillar of strength and control.
• Simon: A cellist from Britain that Mia met at a music based summer camp. Helps her push herself, musically. He loves the friendly competition Mia provides, as she is also a cellist.
• Kerry Gifford: Musician friend of Mia's parents who 'stayed true' to his music, died at a young age.
• Liz Gordan: Shooting Star's drummer.
• Mrs. Schein: Kim's mother. A protective, emotional parent who loves her daughter.
• Peter: A trombone player that Mia met at summer camp.
• Professor Christie: Mia's music instructor, retired music teacher.
• Aunt Diane: Mia's aunt.
• Aunt Kate: Mia's aunt.

Quotes edit see section history

• “Sometimes you make choices in life and sometimes choices make you.”

  Dad

• “You and Adam never struck me as a 'high school' relationship. It was nothing like the drunken roll in the back of some guy's Chevy that passed for a relationship when I was in high school. You guys seemed, still seem, in love, truly, deeply. But seventeen is such an inconvenient time to be in love.”

  Mom

• “Just listen. Stay.”

  Adam

• “Am I dead? I actually have to ask myself this. Am I dead?"”

  Mia

• “If I stay. If I live. It's up to me."”

  Mia

• “Anyhow, she didn't care that people caller her a bitch. "It's just another word for feminist."”

  The mom

• “People believe what they want to believe."”

  Kim

• “I realize now that dying is easy. Living is hard."”

  Mia

• “You and your crazy hands."”

  Adam

• “Love's a bitch."”

  Mom

• “When I was with Adam, I felt picked, chosen, special, and that just made me wonder why me? even more.”

  Mia

• “Who you are tonight is the same you I was in love with yesterday, the same you I'll be in love with tomorrow. I love that you're fragile and tough, quiet and kick-ass.”

  Adam Mickiewicz

• “Just for the sake of experiment, I wiggle my nose like Samantha on Bewitched. Nothing happens. I snap my fingers. Click my heels. I'm still here.”

  Mia

• “Also, if I were dead, I like to think Mom and Dad would've come for me by now.”

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Portland, Oregon

Organizations edit see section history

• Juilliard: Add a description of this organization.

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Glossary edit see section history

• Detente: the easing of strained relations, especially in a political situation
• Pastiche: a work of art, literature, film, music or architecture that closely imitates the work of a previous artist, usually distinguished from parody in the sense that it celebrates rather than mocks the work it imitates
• Repudiate: Refuse to accept or be associated with.Deny the truth or validity of.
• Intubation: sometimes entubation, is the insertion of a tube into an external or internal orifice of the body for the purpose of adding or removing fluids
• Glasgow Coma Scale: a neurological scale that aims to give a reliable, objective way of recording the conscious state of a person for initial as well as subsequent assessment. A patient is assessed against the criteria of the scale, and the resulting points give a patient score between 3 (indicating deep unconsciousness) and either 14 (original scale) or 15 (the more widely used modified or revised scale).

Series & Lists edit see section history

Followed by Where She Went.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Gayle Forman (Author)

Other Contributors:

1. Mirta Jambrović (Translator) - Croatian

First Edition edit see section history

Awards edit see section history

• Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award (Finalist, 2010-2011)
• South Carolina Young Adult Book Award (Finalist, 2010-2011)

Notes for Parents edit see section history

No sexual contact. The sequal does have some but rarely

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Teens › Social Issues › Death
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Contemporary
• Books › Teens › Literature & Fiction

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Books Cited by This Book edit see section history