Before I Die
by Jenny Downham
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jenny DownhamEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-05-26
ISBN: 0385751834
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: Ember
Book Reviews of Before I Die
Book Review: Raw and Honest - A Despairingly Beautiful Novel
Summary: 5 Stars
Tessa Scott is 16 years old and she's dying. Leukemia is slowly killing her, but she refuses to let it take her. Before I Die isn't about Tessa's impending death; it is about her fight for life. She's young and wants to live out her life like any other teenager. She wants to have fun and to get away from her dad; she doesn't want to be stuck in her house, wrapped in blankets and surrounded by medicine.
Downham has created an astonishingly beautiful and heartbreaking story with Before I Die. Gorgeous prose and vivid imagery punctuate Tessa's every desire and goal. Her list of things to do before she dies starts off so simple, but turns into one of the most exquisite things about the novel.
Tessa's is three dimensional and full of flaws. She's rash and rude, and even uncaring at times. Death has made her angry, it has made her fearful, and it has made her crave life in ways no one could ever understand. The first thing on her list: sex. Only it doesn't exactly work out the way she had hoped, but she doesn't abandon the list, she adds to it. And somehow, over time and a budding relationship, love makes it onto her list.
The characters that surround Tessa add so much depth to her as a person. They make her that much more realistic and make her emotions that much deeper. Her father is an incredible addition to the book, as is her younger brother Cal. They, along with her friend Zoey and neighbor Adam (and sometimes even her mom), create this cast of supporting characters that pull at your heartstrings and make you ache for a loss that you know is coming.
Never in my life have I cried as much as I did reading Before I Die. The last 50 pages or so are exquisitely beautiful, yet terrifyingly raw. Jenny Downham speaks volumes with her prose as Tessa grapples with the mortality and the life that most of us take for granted. This poignant story will make you hold your family members closer, whisper you love them as they go to sleep, and treasure every moment you have.
Before I Die is harsh and honest and bubbling with all the things we try to avoid, yet Downham's assessment of death brings closure in its haunting ending. Its pages hold the lives of a narrator who approaches death with fear, but also humor, a love story that builds up to be one of the best I have ever read, and showcases how important family is in the most trying times - life and death, hope and loss. This is honestly one of the best books I have ever read.
Opening lines: I wish I had a boyfriend. I wish he lived in the wardrobe on a coat hanger. Whenever I wanted, I could get him out and he'd look at me the way boys do in films, as if I'm beautiful. ~ pg. 1
Downham's writing makes it impossible to choose a single favorite line, so here just a few of the many
Favorite lines: It's not fair. I don't want to die like this, not before I've even lived properly. It seems so clear to me. I feel almost hopeful, which is mad. I want to live before I die. It's the only thing that makes sense. ~ pg. 54
And this one:
As Zoey turns to face me, I realize that life is made up of a series of moments, each one a journey to the end. ~ pg. 165
And this one between Tessa and her brother Cal:
Last night, when we were watching TV, he tied our legs together with a skipping rope. We looked as if we were entering a three-legged race.
He said, `No one will take you if you're tied to me.'
`They might take you as well!'
He shrugged, as if that didn't matter to him. ~ pg. 242
Summary of Before I Die
This intensely moving story is now available in paperback.Tessa has just months to live. Fighting back against hospital visits, endless tests, and drugs with excruciating side effects, Tessa compiles a list. It?s her To Do Before I Die list. And number one is Sex. Released from the constraints
of ?normal? life, Tessa tastes new experiences to make her feel alive while her failing body struggles to keep up.
Tessa?s feelings, her relationships with her father and brother, her estranged mother, her best friend, and her new boyfriend, are all painfully crystallized in the precious weeks before Tessa?s time finally runs out.
A Publishers Weekly Best Children?s Book of the Year
A Booklist Editors? Choice
A Book Sense Children?s Pick
A Kirkus Reviews Editors? Choice
A Publishers Weekly Flying Start Author
An ALA-YALSA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults
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