Sarah Dessen

Sarah Dessen. We have all heard that name before. She has written a total of ten books; all of which have gotten several awards. Her first book, That Summer, was an ALA best book for young adults and was adapted into a movie that starred Many Moore. Dessen has also been seen on the New York Times Bestseller’s List quite a few times. First with her book Just Listen, followed by The Truth about Forever, and continued with Along for the Ride. Sarah has a hefty fan base and is categorized as realistic fiction when most say she’s a romance novelist. Sarah, to me, is a romance novelist that changes it up. She adds an element of other daily life that makes her books easy to swallow with those who dislike the taste of lovey-dovey details.

                When reading a romance novel you know how it’s going to end. Boy meets girl. They fall in love. Happily ever after. The end. This standard was and is continually broken by Dessen. Out of Along for the Ride, Last Chance, and Just Listen, they all have their main characters leaving at the end of, what always is, summer. It’s a shame isn’t it. Falling in love during the summer; the summer that always is, the one between high school and the real world. The summer where things are supposed to change and you get ready to start a new more mature life. All these stories are from the stand point of a female protagonist who falls in love with the unsuspecting guy that would normally never meet her standards. I mean, these girls are getting ready to move into the real world and they can’t waste their time on guys who would never be what they want. Never-the-less, they all fall in love with the qualities that they would normally be disgusted by. Another thing that Auden, Cholie, and Remy all have in common, is that they all have a father that is more or less not present and have a particular disliking towards their mothers. It seems that the mothers have a specific trait that the daughter hates. For Auden from Along for the Ride,  she disapproves of her mother because she feels that she never got a proper childhood; now robbed of those experiences, she resents that her mother was so careless in preparing her for the future. In Last Chance, Cholie admired her mom for being so strong and accomplishing her dreams but felt anger towards her because she wasn’t staying by her side. Remy, a girl from Just Listen, felt like she was responsible for her mother and felt as though she had to protect her mother from herself and the rest of the world. Remy didn’t feel as if her mother could take care of herself; they simply didn’t understand each other. When the problems with the mothers drive them to go away for the summer and work or relax, that’s when they find that unexpected boy. All these characteristics make it easy to identify a Dessen book; for her fans, it guarantees a story that they will enjoy. It’s not what is the normal layout of a romance novel but Dessen adds the twists in all the right places.

                Now, don’t think that all of her books are the same. This by all means, isn’t true. In all of her books, there are different, unique characters that are the main focus of the book. Along for the Ride stars Auden; a mature and grown up girl, who has been that way since birth. Just before she goes to college in the fall, she feels like she needs to catch up on those middle school and high school how she felt when her first boyfriend dumped her or how fun that one girls –night-out was because she had never experienced those situations. Cholie, from Last Chance, was daughter to Kiki Sparkks and was made fun of for who she was and for being fat. Now, after high school, her mom has sent her to stay in Colby for the summer. Here, she finds true friendship and how to be confident in herself. And finally, there is Remy. She is different. She doesn’t go somewhere else to wrap up her life before she moves of the college, she stays in her town and prepares to get ready to leave and to take care of her mother. All of these girls are resilient and are trying to bring it all in before they move on. All have very strong voices that are easily recognizable by the reader and you really start to follow their way of thinking and how they see the world.

                Another difference is how the character surround’s herself with. This also majorly depends on the characters personality. With Auden she tries to hang out at home and help with her father’s family but mostly spends time with Eli and the girls from the shop. These people help her fulfill the childhood memories that she had missed. Cholie is new to the town of Colby and has her weird aunt Mira, Norman, Isabel, and Morgan. Just with all these people, none of which are her age, she discovers how to be herself and to be confident. Remy surrounds herself with the same three friends that she has had since middle school, her mother, and the unworthy Dexter. With just them, her outlook on her life is changed. I guess you can say that the protagonist always has around five good friends but all of the friends have strong personalities that vary for each book.

                Sarah Dessen is a strong writer. She has her priorities straight. She keeps the reader entertained with the perfect mixture of internal babbling, lovey-dovey details, funny and awkward moments, the self- reflection, and over all big change. Sarah is good to her audience and is an author that makes her books appealing to anyone. Most of all, reading more than one book of hers is worthwhile. Yes, they are all under the same genre but the lesson within each book is different and applicable to everyday life. I would like to see Dessen write from a male perspective. Yes, I do believe that would be interesting, but for now I’ll read more of her work as I wait for her new novel. Come on, sit down; I’ll share her works with you.