My auntie - Blondie Camps - gave me a copy of The Last Leaves Falling for my birthday, which is March 21st. As you can see, I couldn't wait that long and opened it early, not to mention finished it 4 days early as well. I'm SO glad I read it as soon as I had it, it is amazing!
Sora has ALS - Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - and he will die. At first, I didn't think I'd be able to finish the book knowing that, but I don't regret it at all. I got very attached to him and his story, despite knowing I would have my heartbroken somewhere along the line. I loved his family, especially his grandparents, Ojiisan and Bah-Ba. The love he is surrounded by as he deteriorates is overwhelming - and the friends he meets of the chatroom KyoToTeenz, Kaito and Mai, are wonderful people. For someone who has always been judged for his condition, he's finally met someone - two of them, in fact - who won't.
There is a lot of hatred directed at the teenagers in Japan, through the medium of anonymous emails trying to induct them into a mass suicide pact. But in all of this hatred, there is so much love. The love Sora family have for him, that he has for them, as well as the love of Kaito and Mai. Everyone has dreams, and not everyone follows them, but they should, because some people - like Sora - just can't.
I loved this book, it was thoroughly beautiful. It really made me take a good look at my life and how happy and lucky I am. I can't wait to read what Sarah writes next. I don't know Sarah as well as I would like to, as I've only met her once, at YALC last year. But I know two things about her: she wears amazing t-shirts, and she writes beautiful books. She also wrote happy birthday in the copy she signed for me, so I love her for that. Thank you for all the feels.
Verdict: 5/5, of course! :)
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