All Rivers Flow to the Sea

by alison-mcghee

When a car accident leaves a teenage girl in a coma, her surviving sister struggles with grief and guilt as she faces the inevitability of moving on — and letting go.To seventeen-year-old Rose, it seems it keeps happening - that car crash on a mountain road, her older sister, Ivy, behind the wheel, the same Ivy who is now in a coma with only the WISHHH of a respirator keeping her alive. Mom refuses to believe that Ivy is gone and won't even visit, spending her days at the brewing factory and her nights in the mindless weaving of potholders or folding of paper cranes. It's up to Rose and family friend William T. to make the daily vigil to Ivy's bedside, where Rose reads aloud from a book on the sudden destruction of ancient Pompeii. More and more, she has the frightening sense that there are rivers inside her threatening to overflow their banks. In an effort to feel something - anything - else, she takes to meeting a series of boys at the gorge while her mind drifts away like a hovering bird, watching her actions below.Heart-rending, honest, and ultimately hopeful, this first young adult novel from the acclaimed author of SHADOW BABY and SNAP is the poetically told story of a teenager overwhelmed by trauma and loss yet steadied by loyal friendships and, finally, the solace of first love.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Teen, Grief, Death

Paperback

First published October 11, 2005

Reviews

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about pain, suffer, regret, doubt, healing. All the key components of a good book. In my book group, I was a bit "shady" about the fact that she was hooking up with boys at the gorge, but I guess I understand her pain. I understand that she is trying to feel something she has never felt. I think the title fits so well with the book too. Rose's river had stopped when her sister Ivy had gotten in a coma when the two had gotten into a car crash. The river symbolizes Rose and how she stopped flowing, but in the end, all rivers have to flow to the sea. Rose and her older sister, Ivy, were in a horrible car accident one evening in the Adirondack Mountains near their home, what I mean by she has struggled to move is that she continued to blame herself for what happened for just running when she should've stayed. I recommend this book to anyone who has suffered a loss.

[Stefanie Burns · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of the better YA books I've read. Found the repetitive text annoying as opposed to moving which is what I think McGhee was going for. It reminds me of Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak and other YA books where the main character feels trapped by a traumatic event, but less believable somehow. I feel McGhee was trying to obtain a deep symbolic text for a reader and that she tried so hard that the story is thin and unrealistic with the 'underlying' message being much more obtrusive than the story itself.

The book is very short, only 168 pages. Yet, much of the text has nothing to do with plot or character development. I felt there was WAY too many passages from/about the driving manual. I didn't even read them, just skipped to the next paragraph. The story was also confusing, at times I couldn't tell at first if the event was current or a flashback. Additionally, I didn't find Rose, or Ivy, likeable. Nor were the characters realistic and believable. They each seemed either too good or too undimensional (if that's even a word!). While I liked William T., his birding references became irritating though his dialogue was my favorite in the text. Overall, this novel, can I call it that at 168 pages?, misses the mark. It's boring, thin, and irritating. Not sure I would have finished it had it not been part of my book club even though it was a quick read- how could it not be with so few pages and part of the text urging to be skimmed or skipped!

I have felt heartache, real heartache, where you heart truly aches, but still could not relate. There were so many different things going on that each was thrown in the story so vaguely or willy-nilly that I couldn't believe any. I didn't have time to truly feel any before the story was off in a different direction or onto a different storyline. A prime example of that being Rose's relations with boys. I think there are many girls who could relate to not feeling sex with boys at that age, but the brief glimpses in this story were not long enough or deep enough for many readers to make the connection or feel empathy.

There's a reason this book was written in 2005 and I never heard of it.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH. MY. GOSH.
I WOULD GIVE THIS BOOK TONS OF STARS!

(okay, let's relax).

Seriously, what the actual hell happened with this book? It was just sO AWESOME I CAN'T EVEN.

This book is gonna stay in my favourites forever. And I plan to re-read it again this year.

I finished it just in one day, and I usually take at least four days to read a book, so imagine.

I love it so so so much, I would marry this book.

The way the author tells everything is so different from anything I have read, it really made me cry. Of course I had cried with other books before (Tfios, for instance), but it was different. Let me explain it. Usually, I cry or shiver when something is beautiful or sad in a book, like a scene or something, but I know I cry mainly because the author wanted me to cry in that moment - but in this case, I cried because I was there, with Rose, in that house, and I could feel her pain, and I could see her hurting. I cried because it was real, not because it was a sad book, you know what I mean?

I definitely recommend it to anyone, and every human being on earth. It's sad, I know it, but it's REALLY beautiful.

*Spoilers begin*

Rose, I love you, okay? Everything about this character is amazing, from the way she thinks, to the way she describes how is the world after the accident. And Tom. Tom Miller. *Sighs* I ship Rose and Tom so hard, they are my OTP. I usually like male characters just as they are, like, I want them to be real so I could be with them, but in this case, I genuenly want Rose and Tom to be together forever and ever. They are the best couple ever, and the way Alison McGhee managed to put this little romance into the book is just perfect. It's not the typical teenage love, it's deeper and from the moment I read about Tom, I wanted him to be different with Rose (and he is! yay!).

I could spend hours talking about the book, but to sum is perfect, amazing, and I love it.

I'll read more books by Alison ^^

[Buchdoktor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rose muss den Moment immer wieder durchleben, in dem sie gemeinsam mit ihrer Schwester frontal mit einem anderen Fahrzeug zusammenstieß. Ivy liegt seitdem in einem Pflegeheim im Koma. Die Mutter der Mädchen konnte sich nicht dafür entscheiden, ihre ältere Tochter sterben zu lassen, und hat sie seitdem nicht mehr besucht. Nun liegt die Verantwortung, sich um Ivy zu kümmern, allein bei Rose. William T., der Nachbar, fährt Rose täglich nach der Schule ins Pflegeheim und wartet geduldig, bis sie Ivy aus ihrem Buch über Pompeji vorgelesen hat. William, der selbst einen Sohn verloren hat, sorgt für Strukturen im Leben von Roses Familie. William bemerkt darum, dass Rose sich selbst nicht mehr fühlen kann, und er spricht direkt an, dass Ivy sich mit wechselnden Jungen am Fluss trifft. William war für mich eine bemerkenswerte Person; er nimmt Roses Probleme lange vor ihr selbst wahr, aber drängt sich ihr nicht auf. So ist es auch William, der Roses Wut spürt und sie vor ihrer Macht warnt, einen anderen aus Wut zu verletzen, nur weil sie die Möglichkeit dazu hat. Auch wenn Rose es nicht gern hört, sie muss Ivy loslassen, um selbst leben zu können.

"Ich lebe, lebe, lebe", eine durch die Wiederholung der Unfallszene strukturierte Geschichte in leicht zu lesender Sprache, macht es den Lesern nicht leicht, sich in Rose und ihre Mutter hineinzuversetzen. Trauernde, die sich ihre Wut noch nicht eingestehen können, machen es ihren Mitmenschen auch oft nicht leicht. Mancher mag im Buch das konkrete Gehenlassen der Komapatientin vermissen und die kurze Erzählung deshalb zu unrealistisch finden. Die Charakterisierung der Schwester, die nur schwer akzeptieren kann, dass sie selbst einen schweren Unfall überlebt hat, ist Alison McGhee sehr gut gelungen.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ivy and Rose have always been close. Sisters and friends, an event one night shatters their lives forever - a car accident leaves Ivy hooked to a ventilator, and Rose wondering how she is going to survive without her sister. The same two lines are repeated throughout the course of the book by Rose - Ivy and I had an accident. It was dusk in the Adirondacks that night, and we were coming around a curve... More is added to this, and the story of that evening is pieced together. Readers will also learn more about how Rose's life has changed since the accident - how she spends every afternoon with neighbor William T. at her sister's bedside, because her mother cannot bring herself to visit Ivy. How she can't go back to her life the way it was before. How she needs to feel hurt and pain different from that of the accident - and how she finds this pain by inciting sexual relationships with boys from around town. Rose's process of coming to terms and grieving the loss of her sister is just one of the themes of this book.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. The book was sad and kinda confusing at times because of the POV and so I had to reread a sentence a couple times to understand it. This book is about a girl named Rose. Rose and her sister Ivy got into a car accident and they both got hurt really bad. They were both in comas Rose has gotten out of hers and she has to go back to her everyday route but it is different for her now. Instead of just doing her steps she has to think through her steps. Rose is just trying to get through her life but she is still waiting for Ivy to wake up so Rose is always wanting to see Ivy. This book has a lot of real emotions that I think that person that had gone through what she went through would have. This book gets really sad but then kinda ok. I thought that the book would end with her being happy and a lot of good things would happen but that didn't really happen. I would recommend this book to people that want to try a new POV and want to read a heaver book and a sadder book.

[Camille Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

All Rivers Flow to the Sea is a book i keep coming back to. Rose is a deep character who is confused and lost without her sister who is now in the hospital because of a car accident they had. I liked the way her explanation of what happened got a little longer each time she said it. Rose was a believeable character that you couldn't help but feel bad for and Tom was the ideal boy, for her, who you felt drawn to. I really enjoyed this book because Rose went back into her memories of Ivy and you got to know her sister through those moments and it's also nice to read a book where the people aren't perfect but struggling to keep themselves together in a believeable manor. Not the prom queen who falls in love with the biker, but the girl whose mother has issues, her father left, and is taken care of by her neighbor whose son died because broken people seem to find each other and i loved how complex the relationships were.

[Andria Potter · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up. I wanted to like this but I just did not connect with Rose or the other characters at all. It wasn't what I thought it would be, and while short, the writing felt off and forced to me. Unpopular opinion from the other reviews I've seen but I just didn't really click with this book at all.

[Cameron Baca]

I really enjoyed this book, it was interesting to me. I figured it was going to be a sad book just my reading the front cover, but it wasn't that sad. It was a bit sad at some moments in the book, but not like wanting to make you cry. I would definitely read it again because I just loved reading it. I wouldn't give it 5 stars I would probably give it like 3.5 stars just because I didn't like the character. She did so many things just to make her feel better about her sister. For example sleeping with a guy, like how it that going to help you feel better about yourself. And she kept having flashback's about that moment and she said it hurt, but the only thing she said when the guy asked a question to do something was, ¨I don't care." If it hurt then why did you say I don't care. Overall I like the book, most of the character's were okay, but I didn't like the main character. The setting was good, I liked how the main character really went into detail when she going somewhere. Something I really liked was the main character remembering things that she would do with her sister. Like when the main character felt sad, her sister would tell her, "Let's go on a walk." One sentence that I found that kept repeating was, "The accident." I found that sentence really meaning to her because her sister "died" in the accident. I really enjoyed reading this book so much.

[Mariem · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beyond amazing book that I felt came close to home in my life. This book takes real-life moments and states the aftermath of them and not just the happily ever after. In this book, a girl named Rose gets in a car accident with her sister Ivy. Ivy later is stuck in a comma and Rose and her Mother have to decide whether or not they are willing to let her go. Rose experiences lots of pain from having her sister in this comma and it just shows that when you love someone you'll be willing to give anything to save them. I recommend this book to mature middle schoolers and beyond. I would say that for middle schoolers you definitely need parent permission. In the book, it states, "For the rest of my life, I will hear that moment in my mind." I hope you read this book because it is really can change your perspective and view on your loved ones.

[Matthew]

the book was about a girl named rose whose sister got into a coma and her sister got into a coma her mother tried everything to wake her up including making 100 paper cranes but in the end, someone's life comes to an end. The genre of this book is realistic fiction and drama. The books that Alison
McGehee writes are very similar to this book because in one way or another the main character/characters have a very strong connection with a friend or family member. Mostly everyone in the story is believable. This book is very very well written but the story kinda just repeats itself until a big moment happens its a deep and kinda sad book. not really because in the beginning the way the narrator talked was different but then it changed back to first person. I would recommend it because its a pretty good book and Very detailed.

[zia · Rating 5 out of 5]

i read this a few years back and easily became my favorite with how raw it was written. i think i might have loved this a bit too much due to the mc's devotion towards her sister which, in a way (don't tell my siblings!), i relate to.

[Jazel Caballero · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a girl named rose who got in a car accident with her older sister, ivy that got sent to a coma after the car accident. She may never wake up which is what the doctors said. Rose reminds herself everyday what happened and always asks why couldn't it have been her. Their neighbor, William T. supports Rose and helps her out through this tough time. They end up letting her sister go after a few months. This book was pretty good and I enjoyed it. Its like a sad realistic fiction but I recommend this book, its nice to see how Rose grew as a person, mentally.

[Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review: https://elleisforliterature.blogspot....

The writing is simple and yet captures so much. This is a heartwrenching, honest look at grief. I cried at the end. I have read one other book by McGhee that I gave 5 stars to and I can't wait to read more by her.

[Lisa Calvert]

in a sentence or so: Rose and her sister Ivy were in a car accident that leaves both sisters hanging in-between existences - Ivy hangs between life and death while Rose hangs between life and grief.

Ivy can best be described as moving water. she was constantly in motion and brought others along for the ride. Rose was the still, silent water that needed that rush of Ivy to keep her moving. with Ivy gone, Rose is totally lost. she feels the water inside her bursting and pushing and stirring to get out. she feels an ache in her heart she can't get rid of and tries to make that pain tangible just to try and release it.

the reader meets Rose in the most raw stage of her grief, which is shortly after the accident while Ivy is in the hospital. there's no mystery to what happened - a car crash. there's no mystery about who survived - Rose did and Ivy has zero brain activity and is alive only by machines. the only mystery we have is how Rose will cope with this loss. how can Rose move on when her mother refuses to visit her own daughter in the hospital? how can Rose move on when she has so much hurt, so much pressure, so much water inside of her struggling to move that the only way she knows how to feel is to hurt? how can Rose move on knowing Ivy can't move her fingers, her toes, or her eyelids?

much like Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, by entering into the story after the event has occurred, we are immediately immersed into the emotional storms of the characters. McGhee does an incredible job connecting Rose's pain with us as the reader. we experience her grief from her perspective and the poetic and cyclical storytelling compliments her insights and connects it all home with the reader. frequently the narrative is brought back to the accident, jumps to the present, and slips to the back into childhood memories lyrically and flawlessly. the emphasis on the love between sisters and loving neighbors who invest in Rose wholeheartedly create a tight-knit cast of characters that weave seamlessly into the plot.

i was so impressed with this brief, yet incredibly powerful and insightful story of grief and hope. Rose struggles with her grief within the high school setting and on a personal level from cover to cover. this is the type of book where the lump in your throat begins on page one and doesn't leave. ever.

fave quote: "But I do. I do know. I Know all about noise and electricity, silent screams running up and down the waterways of my body. I know about walking, rhythm, the cadence of footsteps that tire my muscles and bring me peace, bring me peace, bring me peace." (57-58)

fix er up: i could have read this story forever. i was bummed it was short, but i also felt like it was perfect the length it was.

title: All Rivers Flow to the Sea
author: Alison McGhee
genre: Contemporary, Grief
publisher: Candlewick Press

[Sherri F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a mature, complex YA book about grief, loss, struggling to move on, and supportive friendship not necessarily where it should come or want it to come even though at times it comes across as simple and choppy; and it's definitely NOT only a book for young adults or people w/YAs close to them. It is a short read/listen since it's only 176 pgs but not nec. quick...if like me, I rewound it several times when I was unsure or confused early on, then later b/c I saw the intention behind it and wanted to hear again and at times, it had me thinking & feeling different things so my mind was wandering to different memories, thereby missing some of the book & rewinding...so it didn't turn into quite as quick as it could or would have been. Early on the writing comes across as choppy, repetitive & chaotic but tht is b/c it is a teens thoughts during a tragedy in her life & how some people think (esp. if like me w/A.D.D. even as an adult). For a 10 yr old book, I was surprised to see so few ratings and reviews for this book b/c having so many important messages, it was interesting AND relatively short.

The book is mostly from 17 yr old Rose Latham's POV after she and her sister/best friend, Ivy, are in a car accident that leaves her sister in a coma. Since her father left them years earlier and he mother is struggling to deal with everything & sort of shuts down (except for going to work & obsessive making paper cranes), an older neighbor, family friend William T. steps in to take Rose to the hospital and sometimes other places as well as cook for her, teach her to drive, and discuss life with and also a boy friend school, Tommy Miller, who is also the cousin of Ivy's boyfriend. Rose develops some growing relationships from these two at a time when she doesn't get support from where many people would typically want it from or naturally get it from their parents, grandparents or siblings. It covers different thoughts, feelings, struggles, situations, etc. during the first several months after the accident.

Recommended to all and a book I will definitely re-read in the future.

[Levi Erdmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

My personal response to "All Rivers Flow To The Sea" is that this was a very interesting book. I enjoyed how the author made everything feel so real. She used language that was very descriptive and really make you think about how easy it is to lose someone we love and the effects of that on the human mind. I think overall that this book is one of a kind but really relates to the real world as I'm sure car crashes like this happen every day and people are in the same emotional state as Rose was.

The plot is very simple but very meaningful. Rose and Ivy get into a serious car crash which leaves Ivy a vegetable and on life support. Ivy's mother can't even bring herself to see her daughter and Rose is sleeping with random guys from around town and overall is a very emotionally confused girl. Rose is pretty much saved by a very close family friend William who is a very nice person and helps Rose become somewhat happy and cooks his special scrambled eggs for Rose to cheer her up once in a while. Rose is afraid of driving but William gives her the confidence to take drivers education and become a safe driver. Rose eventually becomes a little happier even though her sister is in a hospital bed nearly brain dead.

I would recommend this to anyone in high school or above because it has some pretty weird stuff in it. The reading level of this book is not very high but it's a fairly long book. People who like more sad and depressing books would love this book as that is kind of the tone of the entire book.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book I used for my book trailer. I really loved this book! It was so good and so real. It's a relatively short book (168 pages), but it makes a big impact. The reader sees the aftermath of the car accident through the eyes of Rose, the survivor. Rose attempts to live life without her sister Ivy, learning how to move on while realizing just how much she would give up to have her sister back. The language is completely realistic; it gives sort of a stream-of-consciousness feel without being in stream-of-conscious. Rose keeps repeating certain lines, relieving the memory of the accident. We feel her confusion, depression, and much more.

Throughout the novel, Rose has a very strong voice. Though the novel contains some sex (it never explicitly says "they bone" or whatever, but she does deal with her hurt through sexual experiences), I would really like to use it in the classroom. Perhaps I could use exerpts or cut inappropriate parts out, but I think it could work well in a unit about voice.

[Becka dittmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the book was good. It talked a lot about self reflection and how to get through difficult times. Two sisters Ivy and Rose were in a car accident and Ivy ended up in a come with a bad brain injury. The doctors said she wouldn't be able to live a normal life again. Rose had a very difficult time with it because they were both very young. Ivy was only 18 and Rose was only 17. There mom finally made the decision to let her go after about six months of her being in a coma. Rose went to the hospital every day after school but there mother only went a couple times because she didn't want to see her daughter like that. The decision was made and they tried to get over what happened to her but with the help off all her friends and the support she is getting I think that the pain will be a little easier to deal with. I would recommend this book to young adults because it has parts of intimacy and young children should not read stuff like that.

[CG · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very quick read and I finished it in one evening. I liked that the story was mostly revolved around self-reflection, and the whole book (narrative and dialog and all) rarely stretched outside of the character Rose's thoughts.

On the downside, there isn't a much of a climax. Rose just goes through the normal stages of feeling a loss: denial, anger, et cetera. But if you are looking for a story with action or a twist, this is not it.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've found a new favorite author in Alison McGhee. I have been Rose and in many ways still am. So glad I found this beautifully written little book. Perfect timing.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was wonderful! A touching story about the mental state of family and friends after a devastating accident. Definitely a haunting read, would recommend!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is exactly what grief feels like to me. Very well-written short novel of Rose's journey as she comes to understand the accident that takes her sister Ivy away.

[Nanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my favorite books EVER

[(Mellifluous Grant) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't just read this book, feels like I lived it.

[Anastasia Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I fell like this book had so much potential. For example thought the book the main character rose has stress and anxiety about the car crash with her sister. I thought maybe she should go see someone for that. I also think the whole book felt very rushed and not in depth of detail. However, I feel like it has a lot of emotion. For example her and her mother get in a fight and then at the end they end up letting the sister go because she was almost legally brain dead. I like the formation of the book because they start adding in more actions of concern toward rose and how she feels about the whole situation. finally, I didn't like how there was so much repetition. this is because when I see repetition I know it is important. However, whenever there is too much I don't know what is important and what isn't and this is how I felt about this book. I also noticed this is the only book I have read in 2nd person.

[Nick C]

In my opinion the book was very sappy and I don't usually care for those books and honestly I didn't care for this one either. It wasn't an unbearable novel or anything its just a lot of unneeded things go down in here and again I'M personally not a sad book fan. One thing I am a fan of however is the title of the book and the way she ties it in with stuff in the book to connect it into an overall meaning. She does give good detail in the book so I will appreciate that and not skip over because I gotta give credit where its due. Its just the writing style was weird and eventually got dry and again so much flt not needed in the book almost just to make the book seem longer. Honestly Just taking a guess here but she probably would've gotten it done in like 120 pages without all the filler. All in all to sum up my little rant on this book its good and bad for its own reasons but if you prefer sad books then id guide you this way but again not my style.

[Kaleb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, overall, was not my favorite book. It's probably just my perspective on the story being told in second-person. This book is probably not a book I will consider reading again, but who knows, am I right. The book was way to slow-paced for my liking. However, I did like the message it was trying to give about how letting go of the ones you love is hard, an experience that all of us will learn eventually in our lives. But if you're interested in teen life and drama, this book is definitely for you. Warning: it contains very explicit content.

[Lena · Rating 1 out of 5]

ICH MÖCHTE DARAUF HINWEISEN, DASS SICH MEINE BEWERTUNG LEDIGLICH AUF DIE ERSTE HÄLFTE DES BUCHS BEZIEHT. ICH HABE DAS BUCH NICHT ZU ENDE GELESEN!

Inhalt
Rose und ihre Schwester Ivy sind unzertrennlich, immer füreinander da, wie beste Freundinnen. Doch eines Tages werden die Schwester plötzlich auseinander gerissen. Es war ein Unfall in den Bergen. Rose ist mit kleinen Verletzungen davon gekommen, Ivy liegt seitdem im Koma. Die Ärzte haben wenig Hoffnung, dass Ivy jemals wieder aufwachen wird. Doch Rose kann ihre Schwester nicht loslassen, sitzt Tag für Tag an Ivys Krankenhausbett und vergisst darüber, ihr eigenes Leben weiterzuführen.

Meinung
Der Klappentext des Buchs hat mich sofort neugierig gemacht. Ich habe eine sehr emotionale, wenn auch kurzweilige, Geschichte über eine innige Schwesternbeziehung erwartet. Bereits auf dem Buchrücken wird geschrieben, dass es sich bei ‘Ich lebe, lebe, lebe’ um ein philosophisches Buch handelt, was die Gefühlswelt von Rose angeht. Philosophisch muss nicht immer schlecht sein, im Gegenteil. Bei einer solchen Thematik erwarte ich sogar, dass eine Geschichte nicht zu salopp, sondern tiefgründig geschrieben ist, sodass man als Leser zum Nachdenken angeregt wird. Doch andererseits habe ich auch erwartet, dass noch immer etwas vom Charme eines Jugendbuchs übrig geblieben ist. Leider musste ich schon nach wenigen Seiten feststellen, dass dem nicht so ist.

Als Leser findet man sich zunächst einen Monat nach dem tragischen Unfall wieder. Auch, wenn nur nach für nach davon berichtet wird, was überhaupt mit den beiden Schwestern passiert ist, wird doch sofort die Dramatik des Vorfalls deutlich. Man findet sich ohne Umschweife in einer sehr erdrückenden und deprimierenden Stimmung wieder, die ich für den Anlass der Geschichte als sehr treffend empfunden habe. Schon nach wenigen Sätzen wird man mit der großen Trauer und dem Gefühlschaos der Protagonistin Rose konfrontiert. Diese Auseinandersetzung zieht sich durch das gesamte Buch, was ich bei einem solch tragischen Schicksal als sehr realistisch empfunden habe. Die Autorin legt viel Wert darauf, den Gefühlen von Rose Ausdruck zu verleihen.

Um das zu schaffen, nutzt Alison McGhee durchgehend einer sehr gehobene Sprache, die ich in einem Jugendbuch nicht erwartet habe. Auch das muss erst einmal nicht schlecht sein, denn bei einer so ernsten Handlung passt wahrscheinlich nichts anderes. Doch je länger ich das Buch gelesen habe, desto anstrengender und merkwürdig habe ich den Schreibstil empfunden. Die Autorin geht nicht sparsam mit Wiederholungen um, viele Sätze fangen immer wieder mit ein und demselben Wort an. Vielleicht sollte dieses Mittel der Verzweiflung von Rose Ausdruck verleihen, doch für mich wirkten sie dadurch viel zu abgehakt. Dann wiederum ist die Sprache unheimlich tiefgründig, für meinen Geschmack schon zu sehr, und mit einigen Metaphern ausgestattet. Auch Metaphern sind mir in Jugendbüchern herzlich willkommen, doch wirken sie für mich nur dann richtig, wenn sie an ausgewählten Stellen eingesetzt werden, um Gefühle o.ä. Ausdruck zu verleihen. In diesem Buch haben die Metaphern allerdings zu folge, dass die gesamte Geschichte einen viel zu starken philosophischen Touch erhält und man ab einem gewissen Punkt kaum noch versteht, was in Rose tatsächlich vorgeht. Die Abwechslung zwischen sehr kurzen Sätzen, den sich wiederholenden Satzanfängen und der dazu im Kontrast stehenden gehoben und bildreichen Sprache passte in meinen Augen definitiv nicht zusammen.

Auch von der Handlung an sich habe ich nach dem Klappentext einfach etwas anderes erwartet. Schon nach wenigen Seiten habe ich gemerkt, dass die Geschichte für mich keinen roten Faden hatte. Rose erzählt, was ihr gerade in den Sinn kommt. Und das sind nicht immer Dinge, die mit dem schrecklichen Unfall in Verbindung stehen. Sie wirken völlig fehl am Platz, wenn Rose einen Satz zuvor noch davon redet, dass sie nicht wisse, wie sie ohne ihre Schwester weiterleben könne. Vielleicht mag auch das wieder Ausdruck von Rose’ innerlicher Zerrissenheit sein, doch brauche ich als Leserin diese Zusammenhänge, um mich in der Geschichte zurechtfinden zu können.

Am meisten Probleme hatte ich wohl mit der Protagonistin Rose. Ich kann von Glück sagen, dass ich noch nie eine vergleichbare Situation gekommen bin und noch nie mit einem solchen Schmerz, den Rose nach dem Unfall empfindet, umgehen musste. So kann ich natürlich nicht sagen, ob Rose Verhalten in irgendeiner Weise authentisch ist.
Doch für mich war ihre Reaktion auf den bevorstehenden Verlust ihrer Schwester schlicht befremdlich. Während sie noch in einem Moment völlig ihren Gedanken um ihre Schwester nachgeht und sich immer mehr vor ihrer Umwelt verschließt, wird sie plötzlich sexuell intim mit einem Kindheitsfreund. Ich saß etwas perplex vor dem Buch und habe mich gefragt, wie es denn auf einmal dazu kam. Nur wenige Abschnitte später ist Rose wieder völlig in sich gekehrt und nimmt die Menschen in ihrer Umwelt nicht wahr.

Fazit
Ich habe mich darauf gefreut, ein sehr emotionales Buch zu lesen. Durch den viel anstrengenden Schreibstil, der zusammenhangslosen Handlung und der gewöhnungsbedürftigen Protagonistin sind bei mir allerdings keinerlei Gefühle entstanden.
Wer einmal ein sehr philosophisches Jugendbuch mit dem Thema familiären Verlust lesen möchte, ist mit ‘Ich lebe, lebe, lebe’ sehr gut bedient.

[Camille Serna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book deeply shows the act of not letting go. Feeling every type of hurt. I like that the author of this book uses a lot of repetition and references to water,Its a more complex book because of it. I really enjoyed the way the author shows the importance of loss and love. Ways of how the Protagonist deals with the conflict gives you hints on how affected the protagonist is with the situation of losing her sister.