"Seven for a secret never to be told"

Geez. Quit picking tear jerkers, will yah? I guess we're both expanding each other's boundaries. I make you read light hearted books you'd never touch otherwise, and you make me read sob stories I wouldn't normally touch with a ten foot pole. Well played, Megan, well played. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you If I Lie, by Corrine Jackson.

Taken from Corrine's Blog

Before I get to the emotional bit, I just want to point out that I, too, did not sympathize with Casey. Yes, I get that coming out in the military is a hard, dangerous prospect. But that is no excuse for his behavior.  Asking his best friend to put her life on hold so that he may continue to lie to his friends and family? Shameful.  Selfish.  There's no reason why they could not just 'break up' and move on.  Normal, heterosexual couples do that all the time, especially given the strain the military puts on a relationship.  She could have kept his secret while being openly single. His way of 'dealing' with the issue at hand just shows that he is still an adolescent who over-analyzes immediate consequences without looking at the overall gist of the situation, as the adult brain does (my YA library services class makes my brain hurt...but here's an article on that last tidbit. And another). 

I also really love the role that photography played in Q's life.  I'm friends with quite a few artsy types, from artists to musicians to theatre geeks.  For them, their art is their passion, and provides both an escape from reality, as well as the means to process reality.  Giving Q that intimate connection with her photography, then, humanized her and enabled me to connect with her.  

Now, the teary part. It wasn't over Casey, nor was it for Q and Blake. I got all choked up over George, her aged Vietnam Vet mentor.  Once again, the death of a character in a novel made me think about my own loss.  Just like George taught Q photography, my grandma taught me sewing. And I know she would have been there for me when I struggled with relationships during college. So I was able to connect with Q when she lost a pivotal figure in her life. 

That's all on If I Lie.  I can't wait until it's my turn to pick adult fiction. We're gonna read about love struck zombies! In the meantime, I think it's high time we read some YA dystopian fiction for the blog, since that's the genre that first brought us together!