This book is really different from what I used to read. There are no big heroes, just a group of children who are left in the corners of life. These marginalized children who grew up in unfortunate families can’t count on their parents. Those who can really be relied on are often those friends who are also miserable. They look for reasons to live in each other, which is a unique mix of fragile and tenacious qualities of teenage friendship. In other words, friends are the family members they choose by themselves.
Simple yet heavy “See you tomorrow”
This novel is full of the friendship between four boys and girls. They have a little habit between them: they don’t say “goodbye”, they say “see you tomorrow”. “Tomorrow” can be said to be the core theme of this book. When I read these three words, I really understood what the book wanted to say. Think about it. For those children who live in violence or indifference every day, at the end of each day, they have no certainty in their hearts. Can they get through the night safely? Will they still be there tomorrow? They don’t know. Therefore, “see you tomorrow” is not a polite phrase at all. It is a vow. It is a group of children saying to themselves: we have an appointment to meet tomorrow, so we must survive tonight. This is actually the psychological mechanism of trauma survivors, which projects emotional needs. The world is shabby. Can we still trust each other and re-establish our connections? These three words are so simple and yet so heavy.
I cried when I read about those kind and sensible children being abused. I was so angry that I wanted to curse when I read about children who were obviously talented but were regarded as outcasts by their parents and schools, feeling uneasy. My heart was filled with mixed emotions when I read about a child who said it was hard to trust others but ended up saving another child in a crisis. When I read about these people without blood ties protecting each other and wanting to expand their circle of protection, I felt sincere respect for them.
Believe in your friends and yourself
The small but firm warmth in the book touched me deeply. We obviously live a messy life, but we are still willing to give away the little sugar we have left to each other. We are full of wariness toward the world, but we are still willing to open our hearts to each other. Even if we can’t see the future, we are willing to agree to “see you tomorrow” and bet on a shared tomorrow.
Rather than saying the author just wrote down the friendship of a few people, it is better to say he carved a work of art. The more you read, the more you can feel that it is colorful, sunny, and three-dimensional. Those fresh and powerful things pull you like a hand, telling you to believe you deserve to experience all the good things, and to believe in the person who thinks you are a genius. No matter what you have experienced, no matter how broken your heart is, someone will always help you fix it.
We may all have been left in the corners of life. After reading this book, you will know that you are not alone. Because someone will always see your vulnerability, pull you out of the corner, and accompany you to every “tomorrow”. And this feeling of being protected and cherished is our reason to face all the sufferings in life, and it is also the most precious gift we can receive.
