Book Review: The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Overall Rating:

Release Date: 7 June 2010 (First published March 9th, USA)

Publisher: Walker Books

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

Pages: 368

Buy the Book: Amazon, IndieBound

(From Amazon.co.uk)

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker 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, with a nearly magical grin. One boy takes Lennie out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But the two can't collide without Lennie's world exploding...

I LOVED THIS BOOK.

I bought it because I read my agent's (Weronika) review, which intrigued me. Jandy Nelson does two things incredible well in this book.

1. She demonstrates grief. And I mean really demonstrates it. I've never lost anyone I love, thank the Lord, but reading this novel really showed me how life-changing and universe-destroying that would be. She really demonstrates the confusion a person is left with when a sibling is taken from them with no warning. The memories. In one very important part, the main character, Lennie, writes how her sister dies over and over again. Every time something happens that Lennie won't be able to share, every experience she has, person she meets. Over and over, for the rest of her life.

2. She demonstrates falling in love. Not the easy, cheap, lust-o-mania of some books, but genuine falling-in-love love. Yes, there is a love triangle, but I've not read one as emotionally engaging as this one. Imagine falling for your sister's boyfriend while simultaneously falling for the hot new boy in town who never even knew your sister. Ouch.

The story is interspersed with Lennie's poems, which she scrawls on pieces of paper that she buries or spikes on branches or lets loose in the wind, or scratches into benches or on walls. These little tiny bits of Lennie's mind and memory are like little gems in the story. I looked forward to them.

The characters are cooky, the story is simple, but emotionally complex. Nelson's writing is poetic and right on cue, at times hilarious, and at times utterly and completely heartbreaking.

The Walker Books edition is beautiful, the whole book is an experience in itself. I would highly recommend this one.

Check out the Book Trailer.

Characters 5/5

Dialogue 5/5

Writing 5/5

Plot 5/5

Style: 5/5

Opening 4/5

Ending 5/5

“I hear this expression once: Each time someone dies, a library burns. I'm watching it burn right to the ground.”

“The whole scene strikes me as hysterical, and I collapse into a chair laughing. Joe smiles an embarrassed half smile at Gram and Big, leans against the counter, his trumpet case now strategically held over his crotch. Thank God I don't have one of those. Who'd want a lust-o-meter sticking out the middle of their body?”

“I wish my shadow would get up and walk beside me. ”

“She sent out a text today: Sending out a search party for our friendship. I haven't responded. I don't know where it is either.”