For a few years now, I've been maintaining that some of the best writing is being done in the YA genre. Chelsea Sedoti's "As You Wish" is proof for the argument that I'm right. She writes with humor and the language is quite zippy. From the start, the reader loves Eldon. The premise, that there's a town where everyone gets one wish granted, is fresh. And I've never read anything quite so true as this quote:
"Even though I hadn’t finished my thought, I’m hit with a tidal wave of sadness. You’d think I’d be used to this agony by now, but it always catches me off guard. Anyone who says grief fades over time is a fucking liar. It never goes away. It just gets better at hiding. You never know when it’s going to spring out of the
shadows and sucker punch you in the gut."
This is an incredibly accurate description of grief. Though I've never used Sedoti's exact words, I often find myself expressing a similar thought. Not only is this book funny, it also rings true-to-life and is bittersweet. I wish I got to read more than the first four chapters; guess that just means I'll have to buy it.
"Even though I hadn’t finished my thought, I’m hit with a tidal wave of sadness. You’d think I’d be used to this agony by now, but it always catches me off guard. Anyone who says grief fades over time is a fucking liar. It never goes away. It just gets better at hiding. You never know when it’s going to spring out of the
shadows and sucker punch you in the gut."
This is an incredibly accurate description of grief. Though I've never used Sedoti's exact words, I often find myself expressing a similar thought. Not only is this book funny, it also rings true-to-life and is bittersweet. I wish I got to read more than the first four chapters; guess that just means I'll have to buy it.