At some point in our lives, we all wish to be someone else. Usually we hope to be someone prettier, smarter, or funnier. We create new identities for ourselves because, in all honesty, we have no clue who we really are. Eventually, reality sets in and we realize that perfect people don't exist. Life circumstances demand that we come to terms, and even learn to appreciate, our flaws.
In Erin McCahan's novel I Now Pronounce You Someone Else (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic Books), Bronwen Oliver is your typical teenage girl. Many of us can probably relate to her idea that she may have somehow fallen into the hands of the wrong family, and she feels like an outsider. Family is a constant theme that author McCahan keeps throughout the book, especially the need to be a part of one. And between Bronwen’s and her boyfriend Jarad’s families, we see a comparison between two that are broken and complete.
Bronwen’s family is distant. Mornings are spent reading the newspaper and evening meals revolve around conversations about current events. Bronwen doesn’t get along with her mother, her brother is full of himself, and her step-father doesn't realize he has broken her heart. On the other hand, Jarad's family couldn't be happier. Their family meals are spent talking cheerfully and planning an upcoming wedding. Jarad is close with his sister, and his parents are obsessed with documenting their lives in a sea of photos. This outpouring of affection and desire to belong to such a tight knit group draws Bronwen in to Jarad’s love, and she accepts when he proposes.
I Now Pronounce You Someone Else is about having the perfect teenage summer romance amid life’s imperfections. Bronwen's life is going full speed ahead in too many directions from page one, and the question is whether she can stop it before she goes over the edge. Bronwen is a great example someone who figures out how to speak for herself, take control of her life, and let things go that are out of her hands.
I loved reading I Now Pronounce You Someone Else. The title makes you think the book is simply about a wedding, and it is about a wedding, but it’s also about so much more. The story is about discovering the real you, instead of being someone else, and finding the strength to be that person—no matter how hard that may be.