The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen
Sarah Dessen is one of the authors I go to when I need a life lesson and a clear outlook at reality. She's the type of author who has a sincere voice and makes her characters real. They are the kind you'd picture as your best friend, your least favorite being, or your next crush. She has a way of building her stories around a character-driven plot that reveals the main personality through their actions, their inner turmoil, crazy family, and their ever-evolving narrative. They're true to themselves as they paint the picture of their world. Each of her stories and characters are different, but they have one thing in common: they're authentic.
You, as the reader, can see yourself in the situations she sets and the way the characters act, react, and think about the world they find themselves living in. It's sheer magnificence to dive into the mind of a character who feels more alive than fiction. If I'm honest, I envy Dessen's easy way of building these 3D characters that I wish I knew in real life.
If you haven't read any of her books, then you are missing the greatest contemporary, Young Adult writer of our time. She doesn't need magic and elves and dystopian realms to show what really matters: a genuine connection to a voice that lets you know you're all right in this crazy world.
That's what Sarah Dessen has. The ability to make you feel safe and heard and seen simply by connecting to her characters and finding that the lessons they learn in their lives can also be reflected in your own life. They are beauty, simplicity, and concrete purity in the sincerest form.
I love this author so much, and I'm sure you caught on to my regard when I included her in My Favorite Fiction Reads, Top Ten Female Characters, or my Amazon review of her book Once and For All.
She's an author I highly respect, and the only one of YA authors whose books I will buy every time. Every. Single. Time. Having the opportunity to read one of her stories is like having a present delivered into your hands.
Her newest book, The Rest of the Story, is no exception. In it, we meet Emma Saylor. She's lost her mother, just had her father remarry (she's okay with it), and now she's left behind while they go on their honeymoon. However, good girl Emma isn't allowed to stay all by herself, and instead, is sent to spend time with her mother's family who she hasn't seen in years. While there, she meets new family members, learns more about her mother, and reunites with childhood friends who she can't even recall.
This is yet another testament to Sarah Dessen's classic ability to make you feel with her characters, cheer for their happiness and success, and love their evolution into the character they've always been, if given the chance to shine.
Numeric Breakdown:
1: didn't like it
2: it was okay
3. liked it
4. really liked it
5. it was amazing
1. Writing Style: 5/5
I love Dessen's writing style. She uses tone to set the narrative right from the prologue. Here, we discover the lack of positive memories Emma associates with her mother. The one she does remember, a repetitive memory, finds her when she was young and getting ready to fall asleep in her room. Her mother is there and tells her a story. The same story really. It's one they both know by heart, and it tells the tale of another little girl waiting for summer on the lake.
Within this one glimpse of the past, the author introduces us to two characters, but she does more than that. She lets us see into the past of our main character. Dessen sets up this memory by describing it as one of the "good memories" Emma has of her mother and that time. The author alludes to the fact that these types of memories are few and far between.
Immediately, you get a sense of the attitude of Emma and the overall direction this story will take us. The voice of the author warns us that this isn't a tale that begins with a happy ending. It's going to set up the main character to work through an internal struggle that will help her character evolve throughout the whole story. This foreshadowing is a tool Dessen uses within her work, and she does it beautifully.
Some of Dessen's characters can be called "anti-heroes" in a sense. They're not really a hero in the context of their own world's reality, but they aren't really the villain either. However, they're often the opposite of how they see themselves. Their true self isn't coming across because they're doing what most of humanity does by hiding behind a mask. I feel like Dessen uses this concept here, but it's a subtle attempt. It's not a classic stereotype, if you will, but you see that her character perceives themselves to be one way: perfect, always striving for perfection, but then they do something that is seen by someone - usually their parents - as wrong, and they become the antithesis of what their character is originally distinguished as.
Through the voice of her characters, their dialogue, their mental narrative, the image that's seen of them through the lens of other's points of view, Dessen brings us a rich and full background of her character and how they got to this point in their story.
Her potential for black humor, expression of internal conflict which leads to outer conflict, personal exposition, and humor give us an insight into the overall world Dessen is trying to create. Really, in my own opinion, she's giving us a picture of mental health and how important it is to understand and believe in yourself.
All of her books are a great motivator for seeing who you really are and accepting your flaws, realizing there is no such thing as perfect, and you're allowed to make mistakes. Learning from those mistakes makes her characters stronger, but it also helps them to see who they want to be, not because they have to be but because that's who they were at the very beginning.
Therefore, Sarah Dessen's writing style is like meeting yourself. It's accepting yourself. It's understanding your own self through the journey of this character she has shared with you. That's the beauty of her writing. She's teaching you to be the best you that you can be.
2. Overall Content: 5/5
The story itself is one of self-discovery, and it's a reflection of all of her other stories. Emma is trapped into seeing that how she's been over the years isn't the full-in-your-face-self she really is. Her ability to turn herself into a perfect child comes from realizing that her mother wasn't. If she can be an easy-going, honor-student, never-fuss, do-the-right-thing type of person, then she can blot out the stain of her mother's inability to be any of those things.
The Rest of the Story touches base on how our parent's attitudes, behaviors, and preconceptions can affect who we are as a whole. It gives us a look at a father who can't handle his daughter being anything other than the perfect girl he's come to know and shape her as; it also gives us a look at how the mental health of a loved one is so important and can impact our lives for years to come.
Emma's mother suffered with depression and other issues that were hard for her family to deal with in the long run. The constant barrage of emotions, ups and downs, and overwhelming feelings led to her death. This is a very important and heavy topic to deal with and to see how the loved one's reality influences the behavior and experiences of those that love them.
I think Sarah Dessen's precision of handling such a delicate topic and its repercussions is very well done. She sheds light on the after-shocks of someone's choices on those who are left behind. Emma is the epitome of someone who strives to be in control of every aspect of her life so she'll never be out of control, like her mother could be.
Being able to learn to understand her mother, her mother's background, her own personal fears and struggles, and her willingness to understand who she was separate from her mother and her mother's memory is powerful, Emma is a character to admire because she's willing to see how never taking risks has backed her into a fearful bubble that isn't really allowing her to live.
The secondary and supporting characters, in the guise of her family and new friends, are important people who show her how she can evolve. They are representative of those we find in our own lives. There are the many who will love and support you no matter what, and then there are the ones who make you feel as if their love and approval is conditional.
Joining Emma on her journey to being both "Emma" and "Saylor" helps to merge her broken character into a more complete whole. It's moving to see how Sarah Dessen uses real-life issues to bring substance, truth, and help to her characters. She's opening the door to discussion on intense subjects that most might shy away from, but she's pulling them back out, showing up with the magnifier, and saying, "Let's consider this and see what we can do about it."
3. Hooks/Attention-kept: 5/5
I think any time you have a character going through growth and the pains of breaking through their built-up walls, you're being presented with a variety of hooks. Your attention is kept because you want to see that character succeed and break from their shell.
It's therapeutic to see someone else struggling with something you've gone through or even something that can be considered similar. You get to share in that growth and start to see how your own life can change. This is an important ability to have when writing a story that is so immersed in character development.
Sarah Dessen's gift is pulling so many parts of a story into play, using everyday life, and the complexities of love and loss to show her readers there is hope.
4. Overall enjoyment of the story based on the genre: 5/5
I loved this book, obviously, and I think it holds up against those in its genre. In fact, I always feel like Dessen's creative work is ahead of the game. It matches other writers like Elizabeth Scott, Katie West, Jenny Han, and Katie McGarry to name a few, but I always feel as if she goes a step further and makes you feel as if the story isn't just about romance or friendship or a mystery, but really, it's about showing that a character can grow and be as real as you and me.
5. Overall enjoyment of the story based on the content: 5/5
By now, you've probably guessed that I appreciate this story, Emma, and her growth. The content shows maturity with the uncertainty of youth. Dessen's voice comes through clear and concise, showing how Emma's thoughts never deviate from who she truly is, but she takes more initiative through her actions. She isn't a stationary character, and you can appreciate her ability to make mistakes and rebel, even as you're screaming in your head for her not to do what she's about to do.
6. Overall Story Rating: 5/5
Here we are again, at that point in the review where I have to take stock of all my thoughts, analysis, expectations, and dissection of what I felt I heard and saw in the story and tell you what I would rate it.
Is there any reason you would suspect my rating would be less than a 5/5, and I wouldn't be telling you that "it was amazing?"
Because if there are any doubts, I wasn't clear enough in my examination of the author's work. However, I'm fairly certain you all expected this outcome and have a "vague" idea why I have rated it accordingly.
I'm a fan of Sarah Dessen's work, and I'm excited to see what she brings to the table next.
She's an author I highly respect, and the only one of YA authors whose books I will buy every time. Every. Single. Time. Having the opportunity to read one of her stories is like having a present delivered into your hands.
Her newest book, The Rest of the Story, is no exception. In it, we meet Emma Saylor. She's lost her mother, just had her father remarry (she's okay with it), and now she's left behind while they go on their honeymoon. However, good girl Emma isn't allowed to stay all by herself, and instead, is sent to spend time with her mother's family who she hasn't seen in years. While there, she meets new family members, learns more about her mother, and reunites with childhood friends who she can't even recall.
This is yet another testament to Sarah Dessen's classic ability to make you feel with her characters, cheer for their happiness and success, and love their evolution into the character they've always been, if given the chance to shine.
Numeric Breakdown:
1: didn't like it
2: it was okay
3. liked it
4. really liked it
5. it was amazing
1. Writing Style: 5/5
I love Dessen's writing style. She uses tone to set the narrative right from the prologue. Here, we discover the lack of positive memories Emma associates with her mother. The one she does remember, a repetitive memory, finds her when she was young and getting ready to fall asleep in her room. Her mother is there and tells her a story. The same story really. It's one they both know by heart, and it tells the tale of another little girl waiting for summer on the lake.
Within this one glimpse of the past, the author introduces us to two characters, but she does more than that. She lets us see into the past of our main character. Dessen sets up this memory by describing it as one of the "good memories" Emma has of her mother and that time. The author alludes to the fact that these types of memories are few and far between.
Immediately, you get a sense of the attitude of Emma and the overall direction this story will take us. The voice of the author warns us that this isn't a tale that begins with a happy ending. It's going to set up the main character to work through an internal struggle that will help her character evolve throughout the whole story. This foreshadowing is a tool Dessen uses within her work, and she does it beautifully.
Some of Dessen's characters can be called "anti-heroes" in a sense. They're not really a hero in the context of their own world's reality, but they aren't really the villain either. However, they're often the opposite of how they see themselves. Their true self isn't coming across because they're doing what most of humanity does by hiding behind a mask. I feel like Dessen uses this concept here, but it's a subtle attempt. It's not a classic stereotype, if you will, but you see that her character perceives themselves to be one way: perfect, always striving for perfection, but then they do something that is seen by someone - usually their parents - as wrong, and they become the antithesis of what their character is originally distinguished as.
Through the voice of her characters, their dialogue, their mental narrative, the image that's seen of them through the lens of other's points of view, Dessen brings us a rich and full background of her character and how they got to this point in their story.
Her potential for black humor, expression of internal conflict which leads to outer conflict, personal exposition, and humor give us an insight into the overall world Dessen is trying to create. Really, in my own opinion, she's giving us a picture of mental health and how important it is to understand and believe in yourself.
All of her books are a great motivator for seeing who you really are and accepting your flaws, realizing there is no such thing as perfect, and you're allowed to make mistakes. Learning from those mistakes makes her characters stronger, but it also helps them to see who they want to be, not because they have to be but because that's who they were at the very beginning.
Therefore, Sarah Dessen's writing style is like meeting yourself. It's accepting yourself. It's understanding your own self through the journey of this character she has shared with you. That's the beauty of her writing. She's teaching you to be the best you that you can be.
2. Overall Content: 5/5
The story itself is one of self-discovery, and it's a reflection of all of her other stories. Emma is trapped into seeing that how she's been over the years isn't the full-in-your-face-self she really is. Her ability to turn herself into a perfect child comes from realizing that her mother wasn't. If she can be an easy-going, honor-student, never-fuss, do-the-right-thing type of person, then she can blot out the stain of her mother's inability to be any of those things.
The Rest of the Story touches base on how our parent's attitudes, behaviors, and preconceptions can affect who we are as a whole. It gives us a look at a father who can't handle his daughter being anything other than the perfect girl he's come to know and shape her as; it also gives us a look at how the mental health of a loved one is so important and can impact our lives for years to come.
Emma's mother suffered with depression and other issues that were hard for her family to deal with in the long run. The constant barrage of emotions, ups and downs, and overwhelming feelings led to her death. This is a very important and heavy topic to deal with and to see how the loved one's reality influences the behavior and experiences of those that love them.
I think Sarah Dessen's precision of handling such a delicate topic and its repercussions is very well done. She sheds light on the after-shocks of someone's choices on those who are left behind. Emma is the epitome of someone who strives to be in control of every aspect of her life so she'll never be out of control, like her mother could be.
Being able to learn to understand her mother, her mother's background, her own personal fears and struggles, and her willingness to understand who she was separate from her mother and her mother's memory is powerful, Emma is a character to admire because she's willing to see how never taking risks has backed her into a fearful bubble that isn't really allowing her to live.
The secondary and supporting characters, in the guise of her family and new friends, are important people who show her how she can evolve. They are representative of those we find in our own lives. There are the many who will love and support you no matter what, and then there are the ones who make you feel as if their love and approval is conditional.
Joining Emma on her journey to being both "Emma" and "Saylor" helps to merge her broken character into a more complete whole. It's moving to see how Sarah Dessen uses real-life issues to bring substance, truth, and help to her characters. She's opening the door to discussion on intense subjects that most might shy away from, but she's pulling them back out, showing up with the magnifier, and saying, "Let's consider this and see what we can do about it."
3. Hooks/Attention-kept: 5/5
I think any time you have a character going through growth and the pains of breaking through their built-up walls, you're being presented with a variety of hooks. Your attention is kept because you want to see that character succeed and break from their shell.
It's therapeutic to see someone else struggling with something you've gone through or even something that can be considered similar. You get to share in that growth and start to see how your own life can change. This is an important ability to have when writing a story that is so immersed in character development.
Sarah Dessen's gift is pulling so many parts of a story into play, using everyday life, and the complexities of love and loss to show her readers there is hope.
4. Overall enjoyment of the story based on the genre: 5/5
I loved this book, obviously, and I think it holds up against those in its genre. In fact, I always feel like Dessen's creative work is ahead of the game. It matches other writers like Elizabeth Scott, Katie West, Jenny Han, and Katie McGarry to name a few, but I always feel as if she goes a step further and makes you feel as if the story isn't just about romance or friendship or a mystery, but really, it's about showing that a character can grow and be as real as you and me.
5. Overall enjoyment of the story based on the content: 5/5
By now, you've probably guessed that I appreciate this story, Emma, and her growth. The content shows maturity with the uncertainty of youth. Dessen's voice comes through clear and concise, showing how Emma's thoughts never deviate from who she truly is, but she takes more initiative through her actions. She isn't a stationary character, and you can appreciate her ability to make mistakes and rebel, even as you're screaming in your head for her not to do what she's about to do.
6. Overall Story Rating: 5/5
Here we are again, at that point in the review where I have to take stock of all my thoughts, analysis, expectations, and dissection of what I felt I heard and saw in the story and tell you what I would rate it.
Is there any reason you would suspect my rating would be less than a 5/5, and I wouldn't be telling you that "it was amazing?"
Because if there are any doubts, I wasn't clear enough in my examination of the author's work. However, I'm fairly certain you all expected this outcome and have a "vague" idea why I have rated it accordingly.
I'm a fan of Sarah Dessen's work, and I'm excited to see what she brings to the table next.
Find Sarah Dessen's work on:
As always, thanks for joining me, and Happy Reading!
~Rebecca Reddell
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