The Retake by Jen Calonita

An amazing read on the train! This is my first book by Jen Calonita, and I’ve only heard good things about her writing. I picked this book up searching specifically for something with photography involved. Looking at the Goodreads reviews of this book, I was comforted that this wouldn’t be a boring read. It has exceeded all of my expectations though. Because it was more than a non-boring read! It was deeper, and moved me in ways I wasn’t ever before.

Synopsis

This book follows Zoe, a girl who feels the distance between herself and her best friend, Laura, widening with every day that goes by. When she finally has to admit that Laura has moved on without her, she tries desperately to hold on to her friendship with Laura. Accidentally clicking on an app that appears out of nowhere on her phone, she gets transported to the past, and she tries to redo everything she thinks created the chasm between the two of them.

Spoilers Alert!

Zoe went back in time multiple times, and I gleaned so much of the different information given in each instance she travelled back and forth. But with Jen Calonita’s awesome writing, it left me frustrated with how real Zoe interprets everything that was happening around her, and her thought processes and inspirations for solutions.

I loved that in the end, Zoe came up with a surprising side note with the positive wall. It was something good for her to do, and it remained in every timeline Zoe goes to after that. It gives us a feeling of hope, that even with all the bad things that happens, and even when bad things become worse due to our meddling, the good things stay anyway, and the bad things don’t render them redundant.

I loved how Zoe learned how to let go of her friendship with Laura with grace after learning how to be a good friend herself. Laura frustrated me to no end, with her betrayal and ghosting of Zoe, who she claimed to be her best friend. But of course, I’m looking at this as if I’m reading about adults. In fact, even as adults, I wouldn’t be able to guarantee my integrity and maturity while handling such problems. As someone who has given so much into a friendship, to have the efforts thrown in my face, or just ignored, would make me less and less able to take that step and close the gap between me friend and I. So even though I keep wishing Zoe would take that step, finding out that she didn’t only made the situation real and relatable.

I particularly loved it when Zoe went and have some fun during her field trip to Aquatica. It was the first time she decided to leave Laura to her other friends, and hung out with her own other friends. I feel like that’s when she realises she can have fun and be happy even without Laura.

I, however, was confused with Clara’s seeing Zoe disappear when she travelled back to present time. She didn’t remember it long, and that knowledge didn’t seem to make any lasting impact. Does it only display Clara’s potential as a good friend?

The book was centred around friendships and changes. Where change is the only constant in the world, how should we respond and react?

Favourite Quote:

Friendship wasn’t a one way street.