Every Day by David Levithan
A beautifully startling premise! Daily incarnation, and, the changing body doesn’t limit love. “A” wakes every day in a different body and no explanation is given. A world like ours except for one thing. I didn’t think the author would be able to sustain it, but despite some story gaps at the end, he kept the premise intact; even credible, if suspending disbelief is one of your pleasures. If it isn’t, then accepting this magical realism premise may not be up your alley.
What I find powerful and arresting is what this premise allows the reader to experience via the first person point of view of A: an absolutely original normal, one I have not heard expressed in YA literature before.The gender frontier is crossed repeatedly, until it is no longer the focus to a reader immersed in A’s pov. I find this an amazing accomplishment in literature.
Other frontiers are crossed as well, and it could be argued that dilution and didacticism intrude. I leave the love story and the ethical questions to other reviewers. But wow, despite any shortcomings, this is a prejudice-busting story, an adventure that, whether they like the tale or hate it, will in some nuanced way affect every reader’s perception of gender forever. Kudos to the author.
