SAME DIFFERENCE by Siobhan Vivian

Same Difference by Siobhan Vivian • contains 287 pages • published by Push on 1. March 2009 • classified as Art, Young Adult • obtained through library • read as hardcover • shelve on Goodreads

Synopsis:

Emily is ready for a change. She’s been in the same town with the same friends for a long time…and none of them really understand her art. But when she goes to Philadelphia for a summer art institute, she suddenly finds like-minded people. One in particular, Fiona, intrigues and challenges her. But there are some things Emily is going to have to find out for herself — like what the balance is between life and art, and which is more important when push comes to shove.

Emily was new to art. She had only recently discovered her interest in it and hoped that she would be able to learn more at a summer art programme. Little did she know she would find students with years of experience. Of course she started questioning if she made the right choice to pursue art alongside all these people who basically lived and breathed art. It was precisely this whole struggle that sucked me right into the story. Well, that and Shadow Girl. Shadow Girl was a course mate who inspired Emily and made her question what art is all about. Reading about all their little projects allowed my imagination to run wild as I tried to picture what they looked like.

Besides following Emily into Philadelphia, readers also stay right at home with her in Cherry Grove. There I met Meg, her best friend, and Rick too, Meg’s boyfriend. Emily had felt like the third wheel with them for a long time and was glad that she was finally making new friends, who like her, enjoyed art. Meg and Rick had little understanding for art, so over the summer cracks began to appear in their friendship. Even though Emily did become somewhat self-absorbed, Meg’s personality was still captured well, so readers won’t be left reading about two-dimensional characters in the least.

While Emily started out as a cookie cutter teen from Cherry Grove, she came to develop herself as her very own person over the summer. Art does that to people, I believe, when one allows themselves to get lost in art and lets art leave impressions on the soul. Vivian captured the whole process beautifully in Emily. Anyone who enjoys novels involving art is bound to enjoy Same Difference. I know I did.