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What would happen, if you woke up every single morning in a different person’s body, going through the motions, mostly observing, and then one day fall in love?
A is a peculiar kind of person: for 16 years he’s been traveling from one body to another, possessing each for a day. He has no control where he goes, who he lands in. The only constant is that the bodies are all about his age. He never expected to connect with anyone — in fact, he has rules against making connections; they’re just too complicated. But then, he met Rhiannon. A landed in the body of her boyfriend and truly didn’t mean to fall in love with her. But he felt this connection, and even though he didn’t want to, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. So, every chance he got he stole away to be near her. All he wants, with all his heart, is to be a part of her life. But how to do this? How, if he isn’t the same person day after day, can he convince Rhiannon that not only does he love her, but how can he get her to love him back?
The tightrope walk is one that goes through days and bodies and is filled with desire, doubt and question. And it’s a beautiful tightrope walk, one that not only allows the reader to get to know A as a person, but peek into a wide variety of other lives. And Levithan handles it all marvelously.
While the book is full of musings on human nature and the infinite faces of love, Levithan never allows A or Rhiannon or the story to cross over into annoying territory: everything fits together just right, to not only tell a beautiful love story, but a beautiful human one.
And to say that the end was both absolutely perfect and completely heartbreaking is not enough to do it credit. There were moments when I wondered where Levithan was going with the story, how he was going to end it, and whether or not it would work, but I shouldn’t have worried. It made complete sense not only within the confines of the structure, but in a grander sense.
This book has everything: it will entertain you, it will make you think, and, perhaps, most of all, it will make you believe in the ultimate goodness of humanity.
Rated: Mild for a few instances of mild swearing, and references to sex (but no actual sex).
