Every Day: The Power of Observations

​One of the more unique books I've read was Every Day by David Levithan. In this novel, the main character, "A" as he calls himself, wakes up each morning in the body of a different person. Having no physical form to call his own, he "borrows" the body and life of someone else every day – whether male or female, black or white, gay or straight, rich or poor. The body he wakes up in is random and A has no control over where he will end up. This kind of life provides a variety of experiences – more than anyone else typically has in only one body – which isn’t so bad, until he falls in love. Suddenly his body shifting becomes a challenge as he struggles to find a way to be with the girl he loves despite being a new person each day.

Because of the form of the book, the author has a unique perspective to write from. The story follows a basic plotline – the goal of being with Rhiannon again – but because A is a new person each day, most of the details focus on what he observes as a "stranger" or "outsider" to what we consider a normal life. Some of it is bits of truth or wisdom, but for the most part he gives us candid observations of reality, as the world we take for granted is analyzed by someone who lives in it without actually being a part of it. For example, "Kindness connects to who you are, while niceness connects to how you want to be seen" (Day 5997), or "Part of growing up is making sure your sense of reality isn't entirely grounded in your own mind" (Day 6005), and particularly noteworthy: "There will always be more questions. Every answer leads to more questions. The only way to survive is to let some of them go" (Day 6017).

Using characters with unusual outlooks to give insight into the world around us is something I enjoy adding here in there in my own books (though, sadly, none of my characters are quite as unique as A, so I'm not able to include nearly the same volume of observations). For example, the longevity of Alex and Jesse allows them to "see" the world differently than more contemporary characters. We read this especially in Beyond the Soul, since it is told from Alex's point of view; a particular example would be Alex's comments at the beginning of the novel in regard to the encroachment of man into nature. But even throughout the book we can see hints of Alex's unusual perspective as he observes his friends and makes notes of how the times have changed. It is unique characters such as these that often teach us the most, as they reveal to us what goes unnoticed in our day-to-day lives.

What do you think?  Share your thoughts in the comments section!
Until the next time, keep reading!

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