Every You, Every Me

BOOK NAME: Every You, Every Me
AUTHOR: David Leviathan

Evan is wracked with guilt. He feels responsible for the disappearance of his friend Ariel and as a result, is engulfed by waves of depression and regret almost everyday. Everything changes when Evan is walking to school one morning and discovers an envelope with a photo inside. The photo shows nothing but the exact spot he is standing on! Soon afterwards, more envelopes begin to appear with more photos of him, his friends, and even the private places where he would hang out with his friends! Evan soon begins to grow suspicious and paranoid and begins to ponder what the photos could mean. Has Ariel returned and is haunting him with photos to remind him of his actions? Or could it be someone else who’s been close with Ariel before? As Evan conducts his own investigation to reveal the truth behind the photos, he must find the photographer before he is completely trapped within the walls of lies, conspiracy, and unreality that threaten to tear him apart. Read Every You, Every Me to find out what happens to Evan as he combats the ever-growing darkness clutching at his heart!

Every You, Every Me by David Levithan was a decent book. On a scale of 1-10, I’d give it a 7.5. I think it’s unique that the author employed the photographic novel concept in his story, but the story also lacks crucial elements. For one thing, the author fails to begin to draw in the reader’s attention in the beginning/middle sections of the story and only succeeds in doing this by the near end of the book. The story was also a bit enigmatic and secretive for most of the time, as readers can’t really understand what happened to Evan’s friend Ariel during the course of the story.

However, I enjoyed the end, when the the story reaches its climactic point. The author excellently came in strong by generating suspense that would make readers be at the edge of their seats. The main character is well depicted in the story and readers get to comprehend Evan’s inner feelings throughout much of the text (even the “crossed-out” ones). For example, Evan will recall random moments with Ariel such as their eccentric, philosophical conversations and their romantic dates. This book was neat in its own way and it was the first time I had the opportunity to acquire a glimpse of a photographic novel. The plot of the book also resembled that of an epic drama.