A review of one of the books which has made an impact on me.
"You think it’s so easy
to change yourself. You think it’s so easy, but it’s not.” Is how Leila Sales’
This Song Will Save Your Life starts. Elise Dembowski was never good at making
friend, she believe she was born to be unpopular. She spent the entire summer
before her sophomore year trying to change into someone who is considered to be
‘cool’, someone who wouldn’t be mocked, someone who had friends. A series of
events made Elise sure that no matter what she tried, she will always be the
same.
She found her escape in sneaking out in the
middle of the night, walking aimlessly with her iPod. One night she stumbles
upon Vicki and Pippa, two girls standing outside a ware house, which happened
to be an underground dance party, Start. There Elise found people who shared
the same passion as her- music. She was introduced to the charismatic and
charming DJ Char, through whom she found her true passion- DJing. When Char
asks her to take his place for a little while, she feels control over a social
situation. Later she gets an opportunity for a guest DJ slot. She lives a double life as an ordinary teenage
girl and a DJ at Start. Elise’s journey is something you can inspire from. Her
struggle to not only change the way others look at her but also how she sees
herself, how she believes there is something wrong with her is captured
perfectly.
I didn’t expect the book to make such a big
impression on me. We all feel the need to blend in. At some point we can all
relate to Elise. Leila Sales has perfectly captured the struggle of self
acceptance and the peer pressure that a teen ager goes through. The book is
written perfectly and isn’t cliché like I had dreaded it to be before I started
reading it. I believed at first that it would be a cliché novel were romance
saved someone, but it proved me wrong. You experience Elise’s story with her;
when she first entered Start, the first time she went on the DJ booth, which
was a life altering moment for her. The story is heart-breaking, touching, funny
and inspiring; it gives you hope and courage. Change can feel impossible but
it’s gradual. Things don’t stay the same forever and we change in many moments.
There are times when you can relate to the situations Elise is in, times when
you are heartbroken and feel bad for her. The synopsis doesn’t prepare you for
the book.
As the story proceeds, Elise finds people
who help her embrace her just the way she is. She inspires you, and makes you
believe that life isn’t always going to be hard, things do get better. The
supporting characters are brilliantly written, with varying personalities. The
other characters too remind us of a small piece of ourselves at some point. The
best part of the book is watching Elise find her passion that transforms her
life. Elise is a well written character and it is easy to relate to her on many
different levels.
“Because throughout it all, you are still,
always, you: beautiful and bruised, known and unknowable. And isn’t that- just
you- enough?”