I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson (Dial Books, 16 September 2014)
I went into this with high hopes. I'd loved Jandy Nelson's last book. I read it in early 2011 and spent the next few years Googling every so often to see if she had another book coming out yet. I was desperate to read more of her writing. Now, four years later, I finally get to read her second book. And wow, was the wait worth it.
I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN tells the story of Noah and Jude, twins who are inseparable at the age of thirteen and both artistic in their own ways. Noah is the quiet one. He draws constantly, dreams of going to art school, and falls in love with the boy next door. Jude wears tight dresses and lipstick and kisses boys at parties. Three years later, there's now a rift between Noah and Jude, and it's like they've swapped personalities. Noah doesn't make art anymore; he has lots of friends and hosts parties at their house. Jude wears baggy sweaters and avoids boys and barely even speaks. What can have happened to make them so different? How can they get back to each other and to their old selves again?
Interestingly, I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN alternates between the perspectives of 13-year-old Noah and 16-year-old Jude. The first chapter is from 13-year-old Noah's point of view, and I immediately fell in love with him, and it was kind of startling to be wrenched away from that in the next chapter, and so far away from it too. Three years away from 13-year-old Noah, when he's changed so drastically and we only get to see him from the outside, from his sister's point of view. I totally appreciate the effect of structuring the book like this, because the gulf that the three years have created between the two siblings is more marked this way, but I couldn't help but really want to look inside 16-year-old Noah's head too and see what's going on in there. It took me longer to warm to Jude, though I was completely in love with her too by the end.
Seriously, Noah's perspective. Whoa. He sees the world in such a unique and sharply defined way. It's overwhelming and it can seem a little over-the-top at first but I got used to it quickly and it was just amazing. It's like the world is just exploding through his eyes all the time, and there's so much light and colour and beauty, so much feeling and meaning in everything. The world is seen but it's also felt. Nelson's prose is just stunning and everything's so perfectly observed and captured in her writing.
This book really made me feel so much. It's very real in its portrayal of tragedy and grief and the sad, terrible things in life, but at the same time it's fairytale-like in its love stories. I loved Jude and Noah. I loved so many of the secondary characters as well. I also loved that the adults in this book were all so intriguing and seen in such a human light, and Jude and Noah's mother especially had such a rich and fascinating story. I adored all the romance too.
The book unravelled so powerfully and intensely, and it was brilliant how everything came together. But I did think the ending was a little neat. It's like, everything is suddenly sunshine and rainbows at the end after all the tragedy and the distance and the years of keeping secrets and hiding from themselves and from each other. Surely it would take a little longer to shed all that? But I don't even care that much, because I still loved it and it made me so happy.
I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN makes me incoherent with joy. It's that kind of book. It's a book about art and passion and being true to yourself. It's about family: the kind you're born with and the kind you find. It's about love and second chances and remaking the world. And it might just remake your world if you read it.
Stormy
I love this book so much--it was without a doubt my favorite book of 2014--and I love your review too! You hit on all the reasons I *did* love this book so much. I agree that the ending was very neat for what had happened, but at the same time I didn't even mind while reading because I wanted so desperately things to be good for the characters again. I think one of my favorite things about IGYTS(and there are SO many!) is how the characters do some really awful stuff but it's clear that they're not awful people. It's so layered and wonderful to see characters struggle & fail before growing & becoming more of who they really are.
Stormy recently posted Book Review: Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers
Alysia
Ahhh I love your review! It makes me want to hug my copy and reread it to experience all of the amazing things. I agree with you on Noah's point of view, I instantly fell for his perspective and eccentricities. So many amazing characters, and I really enjoyed that the adult characters were just on the outside looking in, they were as much a part of the story as Jude and Noah.
Alysia recently posted Review: If The Viscount Falls by Sabrina Jeffries
Jo
Oh my god, Cynthia! The ending of this review is beautiful!
I am so excited to read this! I've had a reading copy from work for ages, but I like reading books and reviewing straight away, really not a fan of scheduling reviews, I want to talk about books as soon as I've read them, so I've waited, and waited! But it's coming out here the beginning of next month, so not much longer to wait, whoop! :D So excited!
Jo recently posted Review: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
Kayla @ The Thousand Lives
Oh god my heart BROKE for Noah! After seeing that vibrant 13 year old… MY BABY. 16 year old Noah hurt my soul. I didn’t want to leave him to get into Jude’s, but in the end I fell in love with her too :)
YES YES YES your last paragraph! Perfection <3
Kayla @ The Thousand Lives recently posted Review: I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
Alexa S.
Yessss. I totally felt immersed in Nelson's story as I read I'll Give You the Sun! There's just something about the way she chose to tell it that really worked for me as well, even though it did take a little time to get into the groove of it.
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Shannelle C.
I've seen hype for this everywhere, and I'd love to get my hands on a copy someday, just to see why everyone else loves it. I can't remember of a single negative review for this one! At all. That's how good it must be.
And well, you clearly loved it, Cynthia! Great review.
Shannelle C. recently posted Book Review: My True Love Gave to Me Edited by Stephanie Perkins
Veronica @ The Talking Bookworm
Beautiful review. Maybe I'll give it a try. We shall see. Kayla has been bugging me telling me to read it. :) Thanks for participating again in ContempConvos. I can't thank you enough!
Veronica @ The Talking Bookworm recently posted ContempConvos: The Museum of Intangible by Wendy Wunder
Cee
YAAAASSSSSSSSSS.
I'M SURE YOU'VE SEEN ME SCREAMING AT PEOPLE TO READ THIS. EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK MADE ME GODDAMN EMOTIONAL. I'M PRETTY SURE IF I READ IT AGAIN, I WILL JUST BE CRYING AGAIN BECAUSE HOW CAN YOU NOT AFTER ALL THE TWINS WENT THROUGH?
Cee recently posted ESSENTIAL READING | Five Books Mim from Mosquitoland Would Love + Why!
Rebecca
Beautiful review! I also was a huge fan of TSIE when I read it a couple years ago and pre-ordered Sun. But...I still haven't read it. I think a lot of that has to do with my expectations; they're so big and I want to love it so much. But I don't think I should worry because all the reviews I've read so far are glowing! Now to get round to it!