Letters about Literature
Letter to Sarah Dessen, author of What Happened to Goodbye;
Since the age of two months, I have moved three times in my life, every move, to a different state, and each with its own unique atmosphere. Similar to Mclean, the independence, and feeling of nonexistence moving to each place never goes away. You feel as if your starting over, you have a new slate. Until you meet and befriend that first person, you are distressed considering the changes that are going to happen. That first friend always introduces you around, and before you know it you feel like you’re starting to fit in. In my most recent move, that friend was Sloan, for Mclean; it was Dave. In this book, I could easily relate to Mclean and her experiences as well as her character personality. I share a really close bond with my dad as does Mclean Sweet and her father, although we are not on our own. I am not always confident (such as Mclean, Liz, Lizbet, Elizabeth), but I will never let someone I love down. I also tend to hold grudges (although don’t most teenage girls), but I can keep promises, like Mclean with her Dad’s fallout with his passion for basketball. I would never be able to stop playing basketball, it is… my life. These comparisons made the story meaningful to me because it shows another view of a similar circumstance to parts of my life.
It shows a girl who has moved and understands what it is like to constantly "start over." This book also made me realize that you never truly know what goes on in other people's life, and always be ready because you could meet the guy of your dreams even underground. It gives you a new perspective on viewing the world. It makes you comprehend that not everyone's home life is perfect or as complete and good as yours might seem, and everyone experiences hard times, you may never know what they are really going through so keep an open mind. I felt connected to this book in many ways, but it did not pull me into its story.
While reading this book I was never completely engulfed, to the point where I could not put it down. There were parts that intrigued me and kept me interested, however there were portions where I could easily put it down. I felt that the conflicts and arguing between Mclean and her mom were rather annoying. They were tedious and over nothing very important for the most part. This bothered me. I have never been around this kind of problem at home or aware of it in others lives. Although it was not my favorite book, it had good plot, and I enjoyed the quick read, as a school assignment. It definitely beats some of the other books we must read for school. So props to the author for writing a moderately- decent book.
