Survive the Night
By Danielle Vega
Oh no. Realistic fiction. Beautiful and Casual Alcoholic Dream Girl Changes Boy's Adventure-less Life Before Dying in the Most Tragic and Romantic Way! Or how about Quirky Nerd-Boy is Secretly Cool! Anything to say, John Green?
It's true, though - realistic fiction these days is the same old stuff. Recently, however, I've come across a book that takes realistic fiction and infuses it with with spine-tingling horror, mystery, and suspense: Survive the Night by Danielle Vega. Casey is a high school girl who once had it made: she was a star soccer player and hung around with the popular crowd. However, after suffering an injury in her sport, she becomes addicted to her prescription drugs. After leaving rehab, she tries to revert back to her old life, but is whisked right back into a world of late night clubbing by Shana (known for being a professional rebel) l, whom Casey became close with at the hospital. One fateful night, Casey and her group of rule-breakers find themselves in an underground rave, located in a subway system. Little do they know, they won't be able to get out until the rave is over - and they're being hunted.
Vega manages to take a story of addiction that is tragically real to many people and create a character that is relatable for all. Casey’s constant struggle between the life she once lived and the one she lives now is both apparent and familiar to people her age. It's hard to fit this book completely into one genre, which is just another thing I love about it. Although it's technically realistic fiction, the intriguing details such as the spray paint Twister in the subway station set it apart from the rest of its genre. Rather than labeling it, Survive the Night is simply recognizable by its detail, suspense, and utterly real characters.
As I continued to read the novel, I couldn't help but compare it to other books in my head. I was pleasantly surprised to see something other than the “perfect good-boy falls for total wild-card girl” when it came to love interests. Instead, we see Casey fight for someone that she lost due to her addiction. Unlike books such as Looking for Alaska or Stargirl, Vega introduces a love story that is imperfect and believable. At the same time, Casey’s attempts to talk to ex-boyfriend Sam as they traverse the subway rave don't take away from the story - there's much more to the plot and the relationships between Casey and her friends or family.
No book is perfect, though. Survive the Night does have a few things I would change if I had written it. First of all, I wish Casey’s relationship with her parents was delved into more in the beginning of the novel. We are only given a brief car ride with Casey and her father in the beginning of the story. In my opinion, more exposition on the familial level would have added more layers to Casey’s character and her state of mind. One other problem I had was with Shana’s character. From when we meet her, and for a large part of the novel, Shana is simply a rebellious girl. The reader doesn't get much backstory on her, and no reason is given as to why she acts the way she does. You may be able to infer the amount of pain she is holding in based on her actions, but I would have liked less to be left to the imagination, personally. This can also be applied to the more minor characters of Aya and Julie, but the lack of backstory is more prominent with the fiery Shana. Even though she's probably mainly meant to build on Casey’s character, I don't think giving her more of a dynamic character would hurt the book in any way.
Overall, Survive the Night brings something fresh to the table in young adult literature. It's a great read for teenagers who may be wondering who they really are. Not only that, but this book will definitely resonate with teenagers who have endured addiction firsthand. If you're looking for something realistic but with a thrilling twist, Danielle Vega definitely has you covered.
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