Tuesday, January 17, 2017

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Reflective fiction is a popular genre for many but was not one that I typically read from. I am glad I gave this book a chance as I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Jude and Noah are thirteen year old twins who have always been incredibly close to each other and can feel where the other is at. They know everything about each other and can trust each other with their secrets. It is nice being able to have someone there for you all the time and have that deep bond with another human being. Being total opposites didnt drive them apart but made them a better team.

Three years and one giant family tragedy later, everything has fallen apart for Jude and Noah. They are no longer each others best friend and hardly even speak to each other and do not know how to deal with their depression and pain. This is a story of growing up, coming to terms with difficult things that life throws your way, and relationships with those around you.

What I liked about this story is the alternating viewpoints of the twins. We hear Noah narrating at the beginning of the book when they are 13 and the story switches to Jude three years later. The reader can tell how Jude struggles with depression and a little mental illness during the story. She sees and speaks to her dead grandmother and believes there is another spirit trying to sabotage her art in school. Jude has also boycotted dating boys after a terrible sexual experience when she was younger. Seeing her grow and become more comfortable with herself as she opens up to the world.

If you enjoy realistic fiction where we see the main character eventually grow and change things for herself, you would enjoy this book. It does include romance and will make you laugh and cry throughout the story. It is difficult to read about their misfortunes and see them struggle at times but the book is beautifully written and worth reading.

I typically prefer more action to emotions but I very much enjoyed this book and plan to try more authors from the reflective category.


-Lauren

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