Synopsis:
Stop. Leave me to my devices and go away. Just get off my back already, all right? You don’t know me, don’t know my situation. You don’t know the town I live in, the people I live with, the friends I own. Don’t hold me to your standards. Stop expecting the best from me. I’ve never been given the tools to be her.
So let me alone. Life’s easy when nothing expects so little of you. Easy is what I crave. Easy is what I do best. Let the world weep. What good could I possibly do them anyhow? Follow my lead and close your eyes. It’s effortless.
Stop asking about me. I’m okay with being no one, a nobody. I’m comfortable with this stagnant life.There’s nothing I stand to lose. I’ve taken no risks.
Life can’t be changed by simply doing nothing.
Can it?
I’m Lily Hahn and this is the story of how I went from a life of hollow nothing to a life of exhaustive agony and why I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
My Review:
“I don’t think I’ll ever know carefree again, and it’s just what I deserve.”
Surprisingly engaging and very angsty story! Lily was an incredibly resilient and likable heroine. Loved the unexpected twists and turns and the look inside the world of competitive chess!
Lily lived in a small town where the teenagers her age really didn’t have much to do after high school except drink and get high. She lived a particularly horrible existence – her stepfather constantly beat her and she had no real hope for anything better. All she did was party, sleep late and hang out. She seemed to have lost the will to do anything with her life.
Salinger is the new boy in town and is quite mysterious, and admits he only stays in one place for a year at a time. But he has a job, attends school and surprisingly, is a competitive chess player. Lily really admires him but thinks he is way out of her league and is happy just to be friends with him.
“I want action.” He breathed deeply through his nose. “I’m tired of idle, tired of those who blow their smoke, tired of doubt. Get up,” he whispered. “You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to be the best at everything you do, don’t have to be flawless, but you do have to try. Just try. Even if trying yields you nothing, keep moving before you petrify, Lily.”
I love Fisher Amelie’s writing style. It is gritty, unflinching and very real. These characters don’t lead glamorous lives and are looking just to better themselves in some small way. The dialogue between the characters felt very authentic.
“Why are you friends with me?” he asked me. He’d volleyed it back, but there was something else there. His eyes begged me for something, but I didn’t know what. “Because you are here for me.”
After an absolutely horrific tragedy befalls Lilly, she really gives up hope. I honestly did not know where the author was going with this story and I loved how she changed the tone of the book. This is a slow-burn story where time is spent building relationships and describing characters. I was thrilled when Lily finally got her act together took positive steps to lift herself out of the terrible situation she had fallen into.
And Salinger! LOVED him! What an amazing character. He and Lily made the perfect pair.
“It’s all an illusion, Lily. Did you know that?” “What is?” I asked. “Perfection. Nobody has it. The only good in perfection is the seeking of it. It’s in the seeking we find hope and love and light. It’s in the seeking we sacrifice for others, in the seeking we abandon selfish.” I stared at him. “Every person falls back, but not every person picks themselves up.” He looked at me. “Pick yourself up, Lily.”
If you are in the mood for an emotional, angst-y, very readable Young Adult story, then you will love ‘Idle’. It has an unconventional story and memorable characters. This book is a complete standalone but I can’t wait to see what the author has planned next in this series!
“I would do anything for you, Little.” I looked up. “Would you fetch that star right there?”
“Let me get my lasso.”
