Some novels grow on me over time. Some draw me in during the first few pages. Some have me at "Hello." The novel, Every Day, falls squarely into category number three. With one of the more intriguing premises I've ever heard, the story follows "A", a disembodied entity who wakes up in a new body every morning. He/she spends one day living as the invaded person, and one day only, before waking up in a fresh body the next morning. A doesn't have a past, just memories of the borrowed lives. How mysterious!
After sixteen years of inhabiting progressively older bodies, A has developed a code of survival. The rules are simple: don't get too attached to the host, don't do anything out of the ordinary, and leave no trace behind. All that changes the day he wakes up as sixteen-year-old Jason, and meets the boy's girlfriend, Rhiannon. The girl possesses a depth of character and vulnerability of spirit that immediately draws A to her. By evening, A reaches a fateful decision. A wants to be with Rhiannon for more than just one day. In fact, A wants to be with her every day thereafter. Unable to stay in Jason's body, A must find creative ways to be with Rhiannon no matter whose body he/she inhabits over the ensuing weeks. These attempts begin to expose his/her existence to others, and puts both A and Rhiannon in peril.
The strength of the story is A's description of the inhabited lives, and of the insight into the problems and flaws of the unsuspecting hosts. In full disclosure of my prudishness, I must confess that some of the romantic liaisons make me uncomfortable, particularly those of a homosexual or bisexual nature. This story is not for everyone! However, my discomfort forced me to look deeper at the characters of the novel - past the labels that I or society would place on them. There I found the tender souls of the characters so poetically described by the author, and that is what remained as I turned the last page.
I recommend this novel not just for the ingenious premise, but for the journey it promises the reader in terms of seeing through the eyes of many others.
