what happened to goodbye by sarah dessen

In Lakeview, where she has moved as the book begins, she’s already got her name picked out. Then, when it’s time to go, she sheds whatever girl like she is like a skin, and moves on. In every town and school she lands, she creates a new personality and a new name. Instead, she chooses instead to hit the road with her dad, a restaurant consultant, and begins a series of transformations. Her mom wants to her fold into her new family-complete with new house, siblings and everything else. Her parents’ marriage has recently imploded in light of her mother’s affair, making it feel like life she’d known before doesn’t exist anymore. Mclean, the narrator of What Happened to Goodbye, has good reason to want to be someone else. I get to be someone new every couple of years, if only for three hundred pages. I think I still am, and it’s why I’m a writer. Still, I was fascinated with the idea of totally reinventing myself. I can fully remember several Sunday nights thinking, “Tomorrow, when I go to school, I’m going to be a totally new person.” Which was, um, sort of hard to do in a small town where you’ve known everyone since you were in kindergarten. I didn’t like my hair or my clothes or my personality, and I was convinced that if I just managed to be different, somehow, everything else would be different as well. In high school, I was never happy with myself. Change beyond your control and change within it, and how closely the two are related. The idea for What Happened to Goodbye came from one thing: change. She lives in the countryside in North Carolina with her daughter, husband, some lizards and two very spoilt dogs - read her once and fall in love.Connor Hamilton Where else did I read about that? Characters Places Things Sarah's Words from Sarahland Sarah Dessen is the author of six stunning teen novels: Just Listen, The Truth About Forever, Lock and Key, That Summer and Along for the Ride. 'A compelling story and beautifully written' Time Out 'A poignant coming-of-age story' Big Issue Is it finally time to stop reinventing? Or will Mclean turn her back on the new life she loves, without even saying goodbye.

It's as if she's always known him, and just like that, she becomes Mclean again. Her neighbour, Dave, is like no one she's met before. But since losing her family and home Mclean has lost herself too she's been Eliza, then Lizbet, then Beth - changing her name as often as she changed towns. Mclean never lets herself get too attached.Īfter the scandal of her mother's affair, Mclean and her dad chose life on the road. What Happened to Goodbye is a captivating young adult novel about learning to be true to yourself, from New York Times Number One bestseller Sarah Dessen, author of Just Listen and Lock and Key.

What happened to goodbye by sarah dessen