Time is fighting against them- All We Have is Now

Book Review

All We Have is Now

By Lisa Schroeder

266 pp. Scholastic Inc. $17.99

(Young adult ; ages 12-16)

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“Carl wishes time would slow down. Or stop altogether. Anything but continue to pass at this incredibly fast pace.” (Page 232)

Contemporary fiction has always been a go-to genre when it comes to novels, especially those with a slight twist to their story, so finding this book felt like finding a diamond in the middle of stones. Though there are many other stunningly written books out there, this one truly spoke to me. A beautiful, haunting, contemporary fiction novel that reminds us that time is a true concept, and that it is constantly trickling by. It begged comparison to Jessi Kirby’s “Things We Know by Heart” and Wendy Mass’s “Every Soul a Star.”

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“All We Have is Now” is a novel written by Lisa Schroeder, an author who has written more than a dozen books for young adult and middle grade readers, including “I Heart You, You Haunt Me” and “The Bridge From Me to You”. This pre-apocalyptic book has created a genre of its own. Created for a young adult audience, it gives us the perfect mix of the sweet, coming-of-age genre and the thrilling, sci-fi genre. With a comet ready to crash into North America and about to kill the thousands of people who were just not ready to leave their homes, the book creates an unexpected and unique story of survival of the finest and last wishes. The main protagonists, Emerson and Vince, have been living on the streets together for over a year. Emerson is a teenage runaway, while Vince is a teenager with a troubled past that mostly consists of jumping from one foster home, to another. It was a beautiful book, that really reminds us not to take anything for granted, lest we come across a time when regret comes to plague us. The book had several chapters that were made up of song verses, leaving you feeling like the whole book was just one big poem.

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Near the beginning of the story, Em and Vince meet a middle-aged man on a bridge, this man, Carl, is a wish-granter. He tells them that the day before, a man he’d never met before had come up to him and asked him if there was anything he had always wanted to do, but couldn’t, he continues to tell them that he had asked Carl to do the same for five other people, and that he had been looking for one last person when he ran into Em and Vince. He then asks them if there was anything he could do for them, after he gives them what Vince had asked for (money) he goes back up to the bridge and asks them to “pay it forward”. And thus begins the story of “All We Have is Now”. Rich in character development, this is a great book if you like reading novels that go deep into the characters. The book also has a light focus on romance, but this is mostly because of the important concept of finding oneself that is as big part of the story. Throughout the book, Vince and Em explore nearly all of Portland as they go about, granting wishes for people. They meet new people, make friends, even when they know that they will never see them again.

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“Because no one regrets a hug. You only regret not giving one when you had the chance and didn’t take it.” (Page 139)

Near the middle of the book, we meet two new important characters; they are searching for Em when they come across Carl, who has just been knocked unconscious. During this time, Em and Vince run into two little girls whose mother just left them. Emerson convinces Vince to bring them back to their house, which is in Salem, Oregon (It’s about an hour-long drive from Portland.) where they stay with them for a few hours.

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The story continues on, throughout, they meet even more people, including a group of skeptics, people who don’t believe the comet is real, which led to an interesting chapter, full of doubt and theories. Though she didn’t say it outright, you could tell that Em wanted to believe them, to believe that all the people she had met and befriended would live.

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After the interesting encounter in the Shari’s cafe, Vince and Em head back to Portland, where they start searching for Em’s family, since Vince thinks she should say goodbye one last time. The next several chapters are full of doubt and fear and the reminder that love conquers all and will continue to live on, even in death. At one point in the book, Em is reminded of this, and follows up by thinking “Let us live, so we can love.” (Page 127) A book full of scattered reminders that life is short, and that we should never take any moment for granted, that we should enjoy these moments instead. As they continue driving around Portland, searching for a place to stay until the comet crashes, they stumble upon Carl’s house, where they meet his wife, Trinity, who has been waiting for him for the past day, believing that he will make it back before the end of their world.

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“The past is the past. It’s gone, you know? It doesn’t matter anymore. All we have is now, right now.” (Page 194)

But, time continues to go by, with no sign of Carl, or Em’s family, though Em had given up on them a while ago. But Trinity continues to believe in Carl, she still has hope that they will be reunited, before time runs out. Time is a strong concept in this book, it is a constant enemy, fighting against each of the characters, telling them again and again, that they will not make it in time. But, it is also a friend, letting them experience the best times of their lives, in just two days.

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“Carousels still go around. Second chances are real. Wishes really do come true. Stories end. And new ones begin…” (Page 266)

This book, leaves you wordless, making you cry at times, and laugh at others. It is such a stunningly written novel, so poetic, that it could very well be considered a masterpiece. I like to think that children of future generations will be reading this book, and that in the evening, before they go to bed, they will remember to say goodnight, to kiss their parents on the cheek, just in case they won't be able to, tomorrow, because, again, all we have is now, right?