Book Review: All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

TITLE: All The Bright Places
AUTHOR: Jennifer Niven
GENRE: YA
PUBLISHER//YEAR OF PUBLICATION: Penguin // 2015
NUMBER OF PAGES: 378
ISBN: 9780141357034
GOODREADS
PERSONAL SOURCE: Borrowed from library
RATING: 5/5

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Violet’s sister, Eleanor, died in a car accident a few months ago. Since then, she’s had “Extenuating Circumstances” and misses her sister dearly. When she finds herself, scared, on top of the bell tower, it’s another student, Theodore Finch, who talks her down. It’s only together they can be themselves, but as Violet’s world starts to grow, Finch’s continues to shrink.

Let’s start with the obvious with this novel: the incredible, lively, alive writing. I just couldn’t stop reading. The author uses a dual narration – Violet and Finch – to narrate the novel, and their voices were so different and exploring different things that it was truly a pleasure to read.

Much of the book is about suicide – contemplating it, attempting it, etc. Violet and Finch don’t want to die per se, they just don’t want to live anymore. It’s a heavy topic, and, I understand, not for everyone, but it was dealt with in a brilliant manner and really gives you something to think about: would you notice it in the person you love?

But it’s not just about suicide! It’s about friendship and love and first happenings and PTSD and guilt. A wide range of topics, huh? And it was just all written about so well, I am amazed. These topics are so relevant and always have been and always will be, and especially to me, this book came at the right time.

The characters were the full-blown, 3D effect. They were realistic and well-written. They had real-life problems, and their ways of speaking and doing both contrasted and complimented, making for a really dynamic read.

This book hurt to read. By the end, I was reading (I can’t actually remember where I was…) and holding back tears and wailing. It was a hard read, but really well worth it, and I’d definitely recommend it. I don’t think I’ve read anything quite like it, and I really, really adored reading it.

Book Discussion: 5 Books I Recommend You Read By The End of the Year

Ok so this one is less of a book discussion and more a book list (but feel free to add in any recommendations/comments at the bottom, which will kind of make it a discussion!), but I’m tired and ill so… yeah.

Anyway, I hope you’ll like my recommendations, and maybe get around to reading them!

1. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum – ok so this is a classic and I didn’t say what genre I would be recommending, but I would recommend this one for anyone. It’s about escapism, really, but I guess there’re so many other themes mixed in – friendship, lies, partnerships and morals – that it’s a pretty good book.
2. All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven – this YA will quite happily break your heart. Just so ya know. And also, the cover is beautiful.
3. The Little Prince by Antione de Saint-Exupery – this novella is just so adorable and strange and odd and cute and weird. Aka, read it.
4. Close Range: Brokeback Mountain and Other Stories by Annie Prolux – yeah, you’ve probably heard of the title story but I can positively say that there are plenty of others in this short story collection, and I highly recommend it. I am a fan of Westerns, and both the film and book of this made me cry. A lot.
5. Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys – this is the perfect book to curl up in a blanket with with a big mug of hot chocolate and a large packet of tissues to cry your eyes out to. Do it.

I know this isn’t a conventional post, but I hope I’ve given you guys some ideas of what books to read in the last two months (!!!) of 2015. Have fun, and feel free to leave any recommendations below!