Author: Jandy Nelson
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Pages: 288
Published: March 9, 2010
Publisher: Dial Books
Price: £5.59 (Paperback)
£14.33 (Hardback from The Book Depository)
£3.66 (Kindle Edition)
Series: Standalone
Source: Bought
Triggers (In book, review is safe): Death
About the book (Taken from Goodreads):
Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to centre stage of her own life - and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.
My review:
This book has instantly become one of my fav's. I can tell I'm going to reread it time and time again. If I'm honest, I've never lost anyone close, never been to a funeral and I've never had to experience grief. But when I do, I'll definitely try to reimmerse myself in this world.
Every character is developed, each with their flaws and their flairs. I felt for each one of them, and have definitely thought about them since putting the book down. They're all broken, and you get to see them rebuilding their lives one page at a time, it's beautifully written, and so you're bound to tear up.
I doubted picking 'The Sky is Everything' up after the foreword by Nelson which says 'In her band-girl world, triangles belong in the percussion section, not her love life.' And you can probably understand my doubts. Nobody hates love triangles more than me, they're hideous things that I'm sure are only written into books to sell more merch. But, luckily, it wasn't really a love triangle. The romances were delicately put together to keep everything as sensitive as possible, due to the unconventional relationship that sparks. It was obvious which one Lennie would choose, and I was incredibly relieved.
Also, the poems. They. Are. EVERYTHING. They added an extra layer of sadness to an already tragic tale. I also loved the way they were just there. There was one at the start of, more or less, every chapter, yet they went unmentioned until the end. It made you feel like you had your own little piece of Lennie; that you can see thoughts no-one else can see, which causes this incredible emotional connection to her. Her despair resonates within you until you feel like you've lost Bailey as well. You feel her fear and her loneliness and all you want to do is reach into this perfect little book and give her a hug.
If you haven't read this book yet, you need to. You categorically must, I'm being completely serious. This charming story will stay with you for a lifetime. You really don't want to miss this one.
Have you read any of Jandy Nelson's other works? Do you read poems often? What's the best book you've read so far this year? Let me know in the comments!
Contact me! theintrovertswonderland@gmail.com
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