The thing about being a book lover is… well, the books. Theres are so many that I own and so many that I still want. My to-read pile is taller than I am, although that may not be a tough height to beat. Do I still acquire new books? Yes. Yes, I do. Is it a problem? Yes. Yes, it is. This is the book-loving condition. Lately, I’ve been trying to get to my book backlist and put a dent in that to-read mountain. This all brings me to “Along for the Ride” by Sarah Dessen.
You guys probably know who Sarah Dessen is. For me, her YA books were a huge staple of my early middle school reading. Although they are generally pretty light and beach readable, they contain at least one hard-hitting issue per book. The main character —always a girl— usually finds not only herself, but also love through some kind of experience or trial. Obviously, “Along for the Ride” follows this formula.
Auden West, the girl in the formula, is fresh out of high school, but not yet at college. After her parents’ divorced when she was a child, Auden dove into all things academic and missed out on some crucial aspects of her childhood, like, you know, having one. The most notable of these is that she cannot ride a bike. (Author’s Note: There are many people who cannot ride bikes; we should not judge them. i.e. I cannot ride a bike; do not judge me.) She decides to spend her liminal summer at her father’s house in a small shore town to meet not only her new step mother, but also her literally new infant sister. Auden also finds the opportunity to make up for lost time and do all the things she may have missed out on.
This process is, clearly, heartwarming.
So let’s get to those hard hitting issues.
I should preface this discussion by stating that there are some ways in which I relate to Auden and other ways in which I really dislike her. First, we both had questionable childhoods that made us grow up too quickly and possibly miss out on some aspects of childhood. Second, we were both successful academically early in life, but not socially adventurous until a bit later. Beyond that, honestly, she kind of sucks. She is extremely judgmental and full of herself. In some way, her isolated childhood allowed her to elevate herself above everyone else. It was frustrating to read.
Auden’s parents separated during her childhood, but a lot of kids experience something like this nowadays. And it’s okay. Coming from a family with separated parents doesn’t mean that you’re somehow abnormal. Families all look different. As Mrs. Doubtfire said in 1993, “There are all sorts of different families. Some families have one mommy, some families have one daddy, or two families. And some children live with their uncle or aunt. Some live with their grandparents, and some children live with foster parents. And some live in separate homes, in separate neighborhoods, in different areas of the country.” I think that it’s about time that this trite concept of a broken person coming from a broken family is weeded out of our story-telling. Yes, there are always different situations, but not everyone from an atypical family is emotionally, socially, or mentally damaged.
Speaking of emotionally, socially, or mentally damaged, Dessen also pulls death and grief into the story. Eli, the love interest in the formula, lost his best friend in a car accident before the story begins. As a result, he withdraws himself from his hobbies and friends; he avoids everything connected to that friend he lost. Grief, like family, looks different for everyone. No one should be judged for how they grieve unless they harm themselves or others. I love to read books about or featuring grief because I think this variation in how we as people react and feel is so interesting. I also enjoyed “Along for the Ride” in this aspect particularly because it showed grief from an outside point of view. How do others see me when I am wrapped up in my own grief?
Overall, “Along for the Ride” was nostalgic for me, although I had never read it before. The familiar formula of one of Dessen’s novels brought me back to early middle school, which is not necessarily the best place to be. It was interesting for me to see how I’ve grown as a person and as a reader. For your next read, pick up one of your old favorites; you may be surprised to find its meaning change for you. However, it may not be as good as you remembered.