How I Live Now is a novel written by Meg Rosoff that centers on the life of Daisy, a 15-year-old girl. The novel presents a coming-of-age story of Daisy and her relatives. In a way, the novel represents the author’s perception of what will happen if a third world war occurs in the 21st century. Moreover, by choosing a teenage girl as her main character, the author emphasizes the horrors of war, how it influences and changes people, and its consequences for the survivors.
First, even though the main character’s real name is Elizabeth, she prefers that others call her Daisy. Most events in the novel happen in the summer when Daisy goes to the English countryside to live with her aunt. Daisy’s aunt has four children, Edmond, Isaac, Osbert, and Piper, who all become close with Daisy during her stay in the family’s farmhouse. However, the childish joy of friendship is disturbed by the onset of war with an unnamed enemy.
Next, introducing several young characters in the story allowed the author to feature more perspectives on war. At the end of the story, Edmond is mentally and physically injured by war and must deal with survivor guilt issues. The girls, Daisy and Piper, face the need to prioritize surviving over the search for their cousins. Through Edmond’s twin brother Isaac, the author explores what it feels like to be responsible for another person’s safety.
Lastly, another significant theme in the novel is the romance between Edmond and Daisy. When she arrived in London, Daisy rejected Edmond as her first impression of him was that he reminded her of a “mutt” (Rosoff, 2005). However, they soon became close and even formed a connection that lasted through the war. Even though Edmond and Daisy are cousins, their romantic feelings overcome the social norm, and at the end of the story, Daisy stays in the UK with Edmond and their other cousins.
In conclusion, this essay explored the novel’s plot, listed the main characters, and briefly discussed themes featured in the book. Basing the coming-of-age story in the war setting allowed Rosoff to illustrate what young people had to endure in war. While the central theme focuses on the life of an ordinary girl and the hardships that she and her family go through during the war, several other themes are featured in the novel.
References
Rosoff, M. (2005). How I live now. Penguin Adult.