I Will Save You

Citation:

Peña, Matt De La. I Will Save You. New York: Delacorte Press, 2010. Print.

Summary:

After fleeing a foster home, Kidd Ellison takes a summer job at Cardiff by the Sea, a beach campsite in Southern California. After settling into his new job and then seeing the most beautiful girl he has ever laid eyes on, Olivia, Kidd begins to leave behind painful memories and feel somewhat normal which is something he hasn’t experienced in some time. Once his ex-best friend Devon shows up, everything changes. Kidd knows that Devon is not good company and he continually threatens Kidd’s chance at recovering from his past. As Kidd grows closer to Olivia, he begins to become more protective as Devon’s destructive behavior increases. Kidd must find a way to keep Olivia safe while not allowing Devon to destroy the perceived stability he now has in his life.

Critical Analysis:

I Will Save You addresses emotional and social issues faced by many teens today. We see Kidd’s desperate attempts to run from his past and the continuous fight he has dealing with his insecurities: “I imagined talking to her next time. I had to sound smart. And normal. I had to make her think I was a regular kid.” Devon is essentially the evil conscience Kidd tirelessly battles and embodies every painful aspect of his life including his abuse as a child and suicide attempts. Kidd’s father has contributed to Kidd/Devon’s behavior through his drug use and intolerance against the rich. The significant relationships Kidd forms through Olivia and Red create hope in such tragic circumstances.

Matt de la Pena has written a particularly thoughtful and complicated story told through the eyes of Kidd Ellison using flashbacks, dreams, and letters similar to those you might find as journal entries. Because we only see the side of an emotionality disturbed teen, the truth is something we question and some elements often don’t add up. The format de la Pena uses can be confusing at times and it often seems like solving a puzzle using the little clues given as the novel progresses. I Will Save You is a novel that requires heavy concentration by any reader and young adults definitely should take this into consideration. A potential hindrance to the novel is the fact that it doesn’t follow a traditional flow. This can definitely be a drawback for weaker readers.