Wishful Thinking
Have you ever devoured a 400+ page book in less than six hours? Have you ever done that after not finishing a book for months? Have you ever finished said book and thought, "wow, maybe I should post on my blog about this" after not posting on said blog for over seven months? Because that's what happened to me. Yesterday, I dove into As You Wish by Chelsea Sedoti. It wasn't the greatest book I've ever read, but it was just so refreshing to be lost in a book again. I picked up As You Wish because I thought it was a Princess Bride reference, but instead I came away with an interesting coming-of-age story that had nothing to do with princesses, pirates, or dueling to the Pain.
The tiny town of Madison, Nevada is boring as all get out. Nobody stops there except to get gas on their way to Rachel, a popular UFO sighting spot. But Madison's residents like that no one stops in their town - in fact, they do their best to make sure that they don't. Because Madison has a secret. Everyone in the town, on their 18th birthday, gets to make a wish. And that wish comes true. Eldon's 18th is fast approaching, but he still has no idea what to wish for. His parents, neighbors, and friends are all pressuring him to wish for different things. Is his wish for him, or should it be for others? Are the rules of wishing as hard and fast as everyone thinks? Eldon, along with some old and new friends, explores the history of his town, asking others what they wished for and what those wishes did for their lives. Is wishing really doing good things in Madison, or is it only leading to lifetimes of regret and pain?
As I said earlier, I only picked up this book because I was hoping it was some spin on The Princess Bride. While I was initially disappointed with the lack of giants and sword fights, I was soon drawn in by the interesting premise. Towns keeping secrets is one of my favorite literary tropes. Throughout the book, we get flashback-like chapters discussing the wishes of various characters, from a differing, omniscient point of view. The rest of the book is in first person, which works well, though I did feel like I had trouble picturing Eldon, our narrator, simply because he never described himself beyond being a tall football player. The quirkiness of the town, down to everyone having vaguely odd names, adding to the feeling of Madison being in a self-imposed quarantine from the rest of the world. I think my favorite part of the book was how it dealt with grief, emotions, and relationships. Sedoti did a wonderful job of making the relationships between Eldon and his parents, friends, and neighbors the center of this novel. Eldon's main character development is seen in how his actions change in relation to those around him. While Eldon wasn't always likable, and even sometimes repetitive in his self-loathing and grumbling, he was ultimately a good protagonist for what the novel was trying to accomplish.
Overall, I enjoyed As You Wish because it was well-written, had an intriguing premise, and featured fully-formed relationships that invested me in the story. There were definitely flaws, but the book as a whole worked and kept me glued to the pages.
Plot: A-
Characters: B
Overall: B+
The tiny town of Madison, Nevada is boring as all get out. Nobody stops there except to get gas on their way to Rachel, a popular UFO sighting spot. But Madison's residents like that no one stops in their town - in fact, they do their best to make sure that they don't. Because Madison has a secret. Everyone in the town, on their 18th birthday, gets to make a wish. And that wish comes true. Eldon's 18th is fast approaching, but he still has no idea what to wish for. His parents, neighbors, and friends are all pressuring him to wish for different things. Is his wish for him, or should it be for others? Are the rules of wishing as hard and fast as everyone thinks? Eldon, along with some old and new friends, explores the history of his town, asking others what they wished for and what those wishes did for their lives. Is wishing really doing good things in Madison, or is it only leading to lifetimes of regret and pain?
As I said earlier, I only picked up this book because I was hoping it was some spin on The Princess Bride. While I was initially disappointed with the lack of giants and sword fights, I was soon drawn in by the interesting premise. Towns keeping secrets is one of my favorite literary tropes. Throughout the book, we get flashback-like chapters discussing the wishes of various characters, from a differing, omniscient point of view. The rest of the book is in first person, which works well, though I did feel like I had trouble picturing Eldon, our narrator, simply because he never described himself beyond being a tall football player. The quirkiness of the town, down to everyone having vaguely odd names, adding to the feeling of Madison being in a self-imposed quarantine from the rest of the world. I think my favorite part of the book was how it dealt with grief, emotions, and relationships. Sedoti did a wonderful job of making the relationships between Eldon and his parents, friends, and neighbors the center of this novel. Eldon's main character development is seen in how his actions change in relation to those around him. While Eldon wasn't always likable, and even sometimes repetitive in his self-loathing and grumbling, he was ultimately a good protagonist for what the novel was trying to accomplish.
Overall, I enjoyed As You Wish because it was well-written, had an intriguing premise, and featured fully-formed relationships that invested me in the story. There were definitely flaws, but the book as a whole worked and kept me glued to the pages.
Plot: A-
Characters: B
Overall: B+
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