Tuesday, August 23, 2016

#BookReview: I'm Still Here (Je Suis Là) by Clélie Avit

About The Book:

I'm Still Here (Je Suis Là)
by Clélie Avit
Published August 23rd 2016
by Grand Central Publishing
(first published May 27th 2015) 
Translated by Lucy Foster




Translated from the original French, this moving story about the power of love, told through a deep connection between two very distinct and complex characters, will entice any romance fan.

******

For months, Elsa has lain in a hospital bed after a devastating mountain climbing accident. Unable to speak, see, or move, she appears to be in an irreversible coma, but her friends and family don’t know that she’s regained the power of hearing. On Elsa’s thirtieth birthday, a stranger named Thibault enters the hospital to visit his brother, who’s been injured in a drunk driving accident he caused that resulted in the deaths of two teenage girls. Unable to face his brother, Thibault seeks refuge in the room where Elsa lies, and quickly becomes intrigued by the young woman, returning day after day to sit beside her, convinced that his words are being heard.

As their connection grows, the doctors deliver a devastating blow to her family. Is it possible that Thibault knows something no one else does, and can he reach her before it’s too late?

******

The unique structure of I’M STILL HERE (Je Suis Là) allows for a truly engaging reading experience. Fans of Jojo Moyes’ Me Before You will find themselves charmed by Avit’s debut, a hit at the 2015 London Book fair.


My Review:

I'm Still Here (Je Suis Là)I'm Still Here by Clélie Avit
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm Still Here by Clélie Avit is a wondrous story of finding love in the most strangest of places. Thibault can't bear to be in his brother's hospital room and makes a brief escape into another room on the same ward accidentally coming across a peaceful appearing Elsa. But although, in her coma, she appears as though she is resting, she is able to hear all that goes on around her.

Told in dual POV with a slow building of facts about Thibault's life and Elsa's hopes and her attempts to awake from her coma all the while a clock is counting down over her head as the doctors have given up hope of her ever waking.

I did not like the ending. I totally understood why the book ended that way. I completely appreciate the literary genius behind it, but I absolutely was still ready for more of Thibault and Elsa...

A thoroughly enjoyable read that was surprising and different, and although it was a small side-step out of my normal reading preferences, I highly recommend this.


About The Author:



Clélie Avit was born and raised in the Auvergne region of France. She works as a physics and chemistry teacher, while also teaching dance. Avit received the Prix Nouveau Talent for I’M STILL HERE (Je Suis Là), her first novel.

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