The Myth of You & Me

I finished reading "The Myth of You & Me" by Leah Stewart last night. This one was a page turner. In the first pages of the book, you meet Sonia & Cameron - two 15 year old girls who are the best of friends. A page later, the author reveals that 8 years later, something happens to end the friendship. The book then flashes forward to the 29th year of Cameron's life. She is working for a historian and receives a letter from Sonia. Soon after, the historian passes away and leaves her with one last assignment - she needs to track down and deliver a package to her. The rest of the book has flashbacks between the current year and periods of the girls' friendships. You don't find out what happened to end the friendship until the last quarter of the book, so it's tough to put down.

There were alot of poignant quotes from this book that really hit home with me. In one section, the author talks about history and how we remember the past. She says, 'A history, like a life, is just what one person chooses to remember.' She talks about how knowing how things end color the way you see your past - especially when the past you are recalling involves a lost friendship or relationship that ended. As the author states, 'Once you know the end of the story, every part of the story contains the end, and is only a way of reaching it.'

I really liked this book - it definitely made me think of various friendship and relationships that defined who I was at certain points of my life, whether it's a relationship with a boyfriend, or a friendship with a girl that has faded. Cameron has been contacted by her estranged friend, Sonia, because Sonia is about to get married and feels that it's odd that she's going through this significant life event without Cameron's presence; even though they haven't spoken for 8 years, it still feels odd that she is not a part of this event. I definitely know that feeling... But life isn't like a book - a letter won't be sent to that person, letting them know that their presence in your life is missed. You just move forward with the event, whether it's getting married or finishing an MBA program or getting a new job. But it was interesting to read this book and see how, in a fictional setting, it might otherwise play out.