Book Review: How To Save A Life

How to Save a Life
By Sara Zarr
Little, Brown and Company 
Release date: October 18, 2011
ISBN: 978-0316036061

When I first heard about How To Save A Life, I immediately thought of the Fray song with the same name (and then, of course, Grey's Anatomy).


You guys - remember how good the show was back during seasons 1 and 2? Have you seen it lately? Me neither. So because of this connection, I thought "eh, I'll pass." And then I saw the title pop up on all of the "Best of Lists."

Well then.

So I got it and read it and I'm really happy I did! I'm not sure if it'll make my Best Of list, but I did really enjoy it.

Jill MacSweeney just lost her dad in a car accident. She's isolated herself from her friends, boyfriend and mom, and has become a more somber, more caustic version of her former self. So of course she loses it when her mom decides to adopt a baby. Mandy Kalinowski has never really known family. Her mom is viscous, and her dad nonexistent. So when she falls pregnant, she decides to give the baby up to a caring mother. That's how the two girls meet, when Mandy gets off a train and runs right into Jill's life.

Told from both Jill and Mandy's perspectives, it's a book about family, in all of its different definitions. It's about loss, acceptance, and moving forward. It's about friendship and relationships, and ultimately it's about caring.

As mentioned, I quite enjoyed How to Save a Life and definitely know why it's been so favorably spoken about. With a rich story, it was beautifully written, and extremely grabbing. Both characters had defined, distinct voices which rang true. Zarr did a phenomenal job creating them. But most impressively were their changes. Subtle, ever so subtle, the girls became so much more in the end as they learned to let people in. I found myself hating Jill at one moment, and loving her the next, unsure when or how that switch happened. It was fantastic.

The book is hard at times; Mandy has been through some truly terrible situations. And while they're awful, they show how strong a character she is, despite not seeming like one at first. And of course there's a love story, which is careful and sweet and perfect.

I highly recommend Zarr's book; it's full of hope, family and love.

Also, the title really does work. 

Bonus link:
Book Soundtrack!