If I Stay Mortality

Death lurks around every corner. No matter how safe you think you are, something terrible can happen at any time, putting your life in danger. Your house *might fall into a sinkhole. You could be dragged into the woods by rabid beavers. Or you could be hit by a flaming toilet seat from space.

In If I Stay, the accident that claims the lives of Mia's family is a little more mundane than extraterrestrial bath fixtures, but it is no less devastating. Mia learns how precious life is when hers is almost taken away.

*(If in Florida, change "might" to "will any day.")

Questions About Mortality

1. Why would Mia choose to die?
2. Why doesn't Mia react more strongly to her parents' deaths?
3. Describe Mia's version of the afterlife. Is it how you expected it to be?
4. How will almost dying change Mia's perspective on life?

Chew on This

If Mia experienced a warm and fuzzy afterlife—like a light at the end of a tunnel—she would be more tempted to die instead of live.

After waking, Mia will live every day to her fullest, because she knows there is no happy afterlife.