Author Love: Deb Caletti

If I could be any YA author (not as in have their life and their popularity, but actually steal their writing style), I would be Deb Caletti. I never hesitate in naming Sarah Dessen as my favorite YA author – her writing is fun and emotional and the perfect boys totally suck me in. But Deb’s writing actually makes my heart jump around in my chest. When I reach the end of a scene and pause where that extra white space is, I realize that I’ve been holding my breath. Her words physically affect me. That’s how powerful they are.

The thing is, the way she writes is nothing like my writing style. She’s so descriptive and metaphoric and lyrical. Her writing is downright beautiful. My writing is more fast-paced and dialogue heavy. And I enjoy writing the way I write, but every time I read one of Deb’s books I’m so jealous of her talent.

I just finished her newest book, Stay.

 (How gorgeous is that cover?!)

From the jacket flap: Clara’s relationship with Christian is intense from the start, and like nothing she’s ever experienced before. But what starts as devotion quickly becomes obsession, and it’s almost too late before Clara realizes how far gone Christian is – and what he’s willing to do to make her stay.

Now Clara has left the city – and Christian – behind. No one back home knows where she is, but she still struggles to shake off her fear. She knows Christian won’t let her go that easily, and that no matter how far she runs, it may not be far enough…

This novel was a little different from all of Deb’s other ones because of two things. First, it’s told in chapters alternating between the present and the past. And then Deb also incorporated footnotes into the story. The footnotes and still in the voice of the narrator, as if she is really telling her story as a story to someone else.

What I really loved about this novel was the subject matter. I feel like there are tons of YA novels about abusive boyfriends, but this was the first one I’d read about an obsessive boyfriend. This guy loves the girl so much that it drives him crazy. I think it’s a great topic for a YA author to tackle. And what I loved even more was that in the present parts of the story, Clara is trying to move on with a new boy. I love how strong she is.

Deb is amazing. And I’ll leave you with an example of her wonderful writing:

“I had been a shy girl, a cautious, mostly quiet one, but I had been renamed and renamed again, redefined until I couldn’t see myself anymore.”

Everyone should read Stay! And check out Deb's website: Deb Caletti