Source: S&S Galley Grab
Publication Date: 05 April 2011
Series or Standalone: Standalone
ISBN: 144240373X
Format: ebook (ARC)
Pages: 320
Websites:
Deb Caletti - Blog
Deb Caletti - Twitter
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
First Line: First off, I've never told this story to anyone.
Stay by Deb Caletti is a book that I really wanted to like. Its a book that I heard a lot of people (whose opinions on books I respect) raving about on Twitter and their blogs. Deb Caletti is an author that I wanted to like as I saw people swooning over her books that were including in last years
Book Blogger Convention grab bags. Sadly, on both counts I was disappointed. My annoyance started with the random footnotes that served more as a distraction than as a way to move the story along. They were these random asides from Clara (the main character) and while some gave vital information others just made me scratch my head and go huh? What is the point of saying that? To me they were a waste of time and just really took me out of the story and I normally don't mind footnotes in a book. In
Stay though they were just odd. On such useless footnote is: "And, you know, the ability to drive a car and go to college." which was in reference to a paragraph where she was talking about the human-like qualities of a dog.
The story itself is broken up into two parts, the past and the present, and alternates between both from chapter to chapter. This is an aspect of the book that I liked as I do enjoy dual time periods in a story. I think its a tool that can really flesh out a story and give it a more complete telling. In the past we learn about how Clara met Christian and how their relationship developed and changed. In the present we have Clara dealing with the past and jumping into a whole new relationship with Finn. To me, the new relationship came too soon and far too easily. In this present portion of the book its not very long after Clara has ended her relationship with Christian...the boy who became obsessed with her & was stalking her...this is why she and her father left town. Her relationship before Christian also dealt with a less than ideal boyfriend who had started to abuse her physically. So for her to be so ready to jump into something new with Finn just didn't seem real. I think that it would have been more realistic for her to be wary of boys and would have preferred to see Clara gain strength and get over the past on her own before trying to find love again. Instead we get another insta-love situation that just made me roll my eyes. Don't get me wrong, I liked Finn...but I don't like how it seemed as if Caletti was saying that in order for Clara to move on and grow that she needed to a boy in her life.
I also liked how Clara's father was present and involved in her life. This is unusual in YA books and so its always nice to see. Although, much of the time he seemed more like a friend than a parent. But that was due to the fact that Clara doesn't come across as a teen. Stay is a book that has a very adult feel to it. From the overly weighted down prose to how all the characters seemed to act. I believe that with her prose Caletti was trying to come across as loose and dreamlike but all of her constant lets-try-to be-really-deep-and-profound prose just felt stiff and while I was able to deal with at first by the end it just became really bothersome and hard to swallow.
Because of this weighted down style of writing I just never really came to care about any of the characters. They were all two-dimensional and the scenes that were supposed to be suspenseful just weren't. I think that the topic of Stay is an important one. I think that it is one that all girls should read so they can see some of the warning signs of abuse and hopefully avoid getting into such a situation. I liked how Caletti showed the gradual nature of Christian's emotional control over Clara and how easy it can be to find yourself in the middle of this unhealthy relationship without realizing just what is happening at first. But I think that Caletti could have gone deeper, shown more of the terror that such relationships can bring. To me Christian came across as more of a sad character than one that I should be afraid of. And as I said above I really wish that Clara found her strength again on her own without the need a new relationship. I guess I just wish the story was told in three parts: the before with Christian, the immediately after where she learns to be strong & stand on her own and then the part where she meets & is able to trust in someone new. In the end, Stay wasn't a book for me and I'm not sure if I'll be picking up another Caletti book but I do see its commercial appeal and think it will find it niche with many people.
Others who thought differently from me
Buried in Books - "I wouldn't have Deb Caletti change even one word in this novel. It isn't entertaining. It's more than realistic. It's real."
Crack a Spine Book Reviews - "Clara’s voice was a refreshing one to read, and I loved the tone the author gave to her narration - it wasn’t quite chatty, but not totally formal either; very unique."
The Crazy Bookworm - "Deb Caletti delivered a fantastic read.
Stay is about Self-growth and discovery. It is about facing the ghosts of your past, and the ones to come in the future."
Book Munchies - "Caletti has this way with words that I can’t get enough. Her metaphors are dead on, and her language brings this novel to life."
Book Labyrinth - "This book deals with a seriously tough issue, and while it broke my heart, it also put it back together."
which will be available on 30 June 2011 from 
(
, to the blog with a This or That list. I presented her with a list of options and she chose the one that she liked best. Of the choices below which might you choose?
by Leigh Fallon which will be available 04 Oct 2011 from 
and 
first. Lucky you!!
very much and liked Cassel as the narrator. I appreciated black's mastery in storytelling. But it wasn't until I read Red Glove that I wanted to throw myself at her feet. Love this series. And it only gets better and better!
is the first in this.
(Greenwillow/Harper Collins, 28 Apr 2009) - 
(Greenwillow/Harper Collins, 29 March 2011) - Come back on 07 Apr 2011 for my review! 
Posts
