3.5 stars - It took some time to decide how I felt about this. I think if you don't spend too much time thinking deeply about this it's pretty good. Certainly different from anything I've read before. On the other hand, some of Thibadeau's actions just seem a little wrong, creepy, and violating, especially considering he had no idea how they were being received by the other party. ( )

Je ne sais pas trop où j’en suis avec les romances. Je trouve ça nunuche, mais j’aime bien quand même. Avec Je suis là, j’en suis exactement là. Je sais pas trop où.
Dans un hôpital pour revisiter la belle au bois dormant?

Et pis cette histoire du frère, c’est quand même pas trop bien ficelé. Non, ça va pas ce truc-là. Ou trop, ou trop peu. On en fait quoi à la fin? Hein?

Finalement, je crois que j’aime pas trop ( )

> Babelio : https://www.babelio.com/livres/Avit-Je-suis-la/721773

> JE SUIS LÀ, par Clélie Avit (Le Livre de Poche, 2016, Poche, 240 pages). — Elsa n'a plus froid, plus faim, plus peur depuis qu'un accident de montagne l'a plongée dans le coma.
Thibault a perdu toute confiance le jour où son frère a renversé deux jeunes filles en voiture.
Un jour, Thibault pénètre par erreur dans la chambre d'Elsa et s'installe pour une sieste. Elle ne risque pas de le dénoncer, dans son état. Mais le silence est pesant, même face à quelqu'un dans le coma. Alors, le voilà qui se met à parler, sans attendre de réponse.
Ce qu'il ignore, c'est que pour Elsa, tout est fini, jamais elle ne se réveillera. Mais tandis que médecins, amis et famille baissent les bras, Thibault, lui, construit une relation avec Elsa. Est-il à ce point désespéré lui-même ? Ou a-t-il décelé chez elle ce que plus personne ne voit ?
—Johnny Gimenez (Culturebox)

Elsa has been lying comatose in a hospital bed for five months after an accident while climbing on a glacier. When the reader meets Elsa she is able to hear everything even though none of her other senses have returned. And so, the reader experiences her thoughts and reactions from what she is hearing from her hospital bed.

Thibault's brother has been injured in a car accident in which he killed two girls. He is recovering in the same hospital as Elsa. Thibault cannot face his brother because he had been drinking when he caused the accident. So when he takes his mother to visit Thibault escapes to other parts of the hospital to wait. One day he accidentally enters Elsa's room finding her comatose and begins talking to her not knowing at the time that she is hearing him. He finds that he wants to keep visiting her, and she also waits longingly for his visits. And this is how their strange relationship grows so very quickly.

Then the medical staff enters the room to evaluate her progress. Their diagnosis for her recovery from the coma is grim, but Thibault somehow knows that Elsa is still there.

The reading of the book is a quick and easy and the ending is somewhat predictable. However given all of that, the book with it's themes of hope, love and of never giving up is a satisfying read. ( )

This was a beautifully written book. My heart is still recovering. ( )

A young woman, she will turn thirty soon, lies in a coma after a serious accident. A young man visiting his brother, who has done something terrible, finds himself in her room. He shares things about himself to a person who cannot respond, but he is convinced she can hear him. Elsa's feeling and thoughts are internal and we are privy to them as well. Visitors, family and friends come and go but the young man comes back, again and again.

Very easy to read, the prose is straightforward, the tone should be maudlin but is not, a very different read for sure. I liked it, liked the characters very much, they are varied and descriptive. A quick read, somewhat of a modern day fairytale with a dramatic ending.

ARC from Netgalley. ( )

I'm Still Here is Clélie Avit's debut novel.

After a horrifying mountain climbing accident, Elsa is lucky to be alive. But she's in a coma. Unknown to her doctors, friends and family, Elsa can hear what is going on around her, but cannot communicate.

A young man named Thibault is in the same hospital to visit his brother, who has also been in an accident. But, the circumstances are quite different and Thibault cannot bring himself to enter his brother's room. Instead he ducks into Elsa's room. Discovering she is in a coma from her chart, he happily sits down in the visitor's chair......and begins to talk. This is the first time, but it won't be the last. He finds himself drawn to Elsa, despite her being in a coma. And Elsa? She is just as drawn to Thibault - and determined to let Thibault know.

This isn't a new premise for a novel (or a story either - I thought of Sleeping Beauty as I started reading), but I enjoyed Avit's take on it. The reader is privy to the details of both Elsa's and Thibault's lives.

Who knows if those in comas can hear what is happening around them? (And I think they can) Imagine the frustration and fear they must feel. Avit does a good job portraying what such a patient might feel with Elsa's thoughts, hopes and memories. And fears as well - she can hear what her doctors and family are discussing.

I quite liked Thibault. His open, unhindered, unscripted monologues revealed much about his life, his thoughts and his character. But, I thought the parallel storyline about his brother should have affected me more. (And I felt bad about that as it too has some serious overtones.) I'm not sure if it was 'lost in translation', but I didn't feel the emotion the situation warranted.

The pragmatic in me had to ignore Thibault's crossing of lines with a stranger (some of his behaviour in the hospital going ignored by staff is a bit of stretch) and just go with the fairy tale, hoping that Elsa can wake up and let Thibault know she has heard every word he's spoken.

I'm Still Here is a quick little romantic read, with a fairy tale feel. ( )

This is my first introduction to author, Clelie Avit. What a heartfelt story. I was cheering for Elsa and Thibault the whole time. I love that the main focus was really on just Elsa and Thibault. They both had a story to tell if you just listened. Yes, Elsa did have a story and her story was that she is a fighter; Thibault knew this and this is why he felt such a strong connection towards Elsa. Although, it was really Thibault that needed saving. Elsa was his savior. As I was reading this book, I kind of felt like I was using my sense of hearing even more. This book was well written and translated just as well with no problems. What I mean by this is that it did not read stiffly or choppy. I look forward to reading more books by this author. I'm Still Here is like reading a Nicholas Sparks novel. This is a very good thing. You will fall for the story and the characters will stay with you even after you finish this book. ( )

This was one of the most amazing books I have read this year (one of them mind you!) I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a wonderful love story interspersed with what can only be called a horror story.

Elsa is in the hospital in a coma and has been for months. Nobody believes that she will be coming out of this coma.
She is going to be taken off of her life saving equipment. What everyone doesn't know, is that she can hear every word that is said.

Thibault is at the hospital NOT visiting his brother who has broken the law. To escape his family Thibault ends up in Elsa's room...and he talks to her in a 'real' way (if you know what I mean). A love story erupts from this unusual meeting.

This story is only told from Elsa and Thibaults perspective, with Thibault doing the talking and Elsa doing listening.

This was a richly told tale, was a very fast read (you just won't be able to put it down until you find out how it ends) This is a very short book and I am amazed that the author was able to fit so much into so many in such a short time.

*ARC supplied by publisher. ( )