Title: I have Lost My Way
Author: Gayle Forman
Audio: Read by...Nicole Lewis, Michael Crouch, and Sunil Malhotra
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers; First Edition edition (March 27, 2018) Audible.com Release Date: March 27, 2018
Source: Library Find
Rating: ☕☕☕☕1/2
Synopsis: Around the time that Freya loses her voice while recording her debut album, Harun is making plans to run away from home to find the boy that he loves, and Nathaniel is arriving in New York City after a family tragedy leaves him isolated on the outskirts of Washington state. After the three of them collide in Central Park, they slowly reveal the parts of their past that they haven't been able to confront, and together, they find their way back to who they're supposed to be. Told over the course of a single day from three different perspectives, Gayle Forman's newest novel about the power of friendship and being true to who you are is filled with the elegant prose that her fans have come to know and love.
My Thoughts: This was my first Gayle Forman book and if this is typical of her writing I'm hunting down her back list and giving it all a go. For reals.
The Good: While this was such a good story about friendship and discovering oneself I can't help but be awed by the production of the audio book. Without the three narrators this wouldn't have been as great of a book. Sure it probably still would have been a good read. One I still might have recommended to bookie friends of mine. However, what Nicole, Michael, and Sunil did was elevate this story to greatness. The characters were more real. Their fears, their struggles, their friendships, all of it became my fears, my struggles, and my friendships. This doesn't happen very often but when it does...WOW....just wow.
Even though I did find Nathaniel's storyline a bit expected I was still fully invested in it. From his phone calls that always went to his dad's voice mail "Tell me something good!" to his talking about the different attractions him and his dad had always said they'd see someday. I knew where it was leading, I just didn't know how we were going to get there. This could technically be said about Harun's character as well. As much as Nathaniel struggled, Harun's struggle was harder. His inner conflict about being gay in a family saturated in culture from another land where religion and being gay do not go together was tough to listen to. He felt alone and isolated and grew up thinking he was an abomination yet he fell in love with another man anyway. Unfortunately, this relationship was doomed to fail because he was unable to accept who he was in order for it to grow.
The Bad: While I will say I absolutely loved this book I'm not sure if I had read it myself rather listened to the audio version if I would have been as taken with it. From Harun's accent to Freya's singing in Ethiopian, the audio made this book come alive where I would have been stuck on pronunciation to the point of distraction. Some people might not be as picky about this type of thing as I am so this "bad" thing might not be horrible to another reader. I also would have liked to have known what happened after. Meaning the book ended but I wanted more. Harun probably is now an outcast from his family, Freya still cannot sing, and Nathaniel is homeless and depressed. I need more...or least a plan of sorts so I know the characters will be ok after the last page. Is that weird?
In a Nutshell: As much as this book had the potential to wreck me by the end I was at peace. I went through so many emotions I'm surprised people driving next to me didn't worry about the state of the "crazy crying lady" in the Nissan Rogue. Despite my wild emotional ranges or maybe because of them I will whole heartedly recommend this book, I even have to admit I found myself not going straight home many a night detouring the loooong way so I could get another few minutes of listening in. Now isn't that a sign of a good book?
