Monday, September 19, 2011

Every You, Every Me by David Levithan

I'll admit that when it comes to books, I can be a little snob. I pride myself on the fact that I don't read the melodramatic high school books other teenagers read. Until now.

“Every You, Every Me” is a photographic novel written photo by photo in a collaboration between David Levithan and Jonathan Farmer. I found this novel deep, intellectual, and creative, though it occasionally verged on psychotic.

In this story, the protagonist is a troubled boy named Evan who seems incapable of dealing with the ambiguous "loss" of his only friend. It's written in second person to this friend, making it feel more intimate. David Levithan also uses the literary technique of crossing out parts of the text. Although confusing to read at first, the look into Evan's mind (as opposed to his words) adds a fascinating layer to the story.

Jonathan Farmer's photos were beautifully unsettling and made the story more evocative and resonant with the reader. Although this is a teenage book, I think adults can equally enjoy such a dark, moving novel.