Title: The Sky is Everywhere
Author: Jandy Nelson
Pages: 368
Genre: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Romance
Published: June 7th 2010 by Walker Books
Source: Library Book, now own
Synopsis:
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...
After seeing ALL these five star reviews for this book, how could I not want to read it?
This is why I feel, I don't know, I feel I could be letting the book down. But this book to me, I have no idea how to understand it.
I've never felt that type of grief, i've never been consumed by lust for my sisters boyfriend who is actually her fiance. I've never felt what Lennie (Lennon) felt.
But I don't think I still understand why she did the things she did. But I guess that is grief for you.
This is the story of Lennie, Lennie's sister Bailey just died (that was a sad death), and now Bailey is just consumed by grief and her sudden lust.
I think the back of the book says it really well. What kind of girl wants to kiss every boy at a funeral. Lennie is just a girl, she was sheltered, she was the side kick (as she calls herself in as many words), she doesn't know what to do. So she does what she can to be as close to her sister as she can. And that was by shutting everyone out but Toby (Baileys' boyfriend). Lennie, decides that to be "whole" she needs to be closest to the other half of her sisters heart, Toby. And to connect those two pieces Lennie, decides to do it sexually.
But on the other hand Lennie meets Joe, who is a new student, AMAZING at music and playing and writing. and Joe won't stay away from Lennie, he is a persistent little bugger.
And now Lennie is in a love triangle. One half of it, the half with Joe makes her feel alive, and forget about Bailey, but it also makes her feel guilty for forgetting her sister, and then the fact that Joe never met Bailey has Lennie worried too.
But the other half of the love triangle, with Toby, is just wrong. So wrong. I can forgive the making out one time, but multiple times, and BAILEY WAS... PREGNANT THAT MADE IT JUST SO MUCH WORSE OKAY. Toby should not have been thinking this was an okay thing either.
Both Lennie and Toby are at fault.
But then we come back to Lennie and Joe's relationship. SO after finally getting "together", Joe you can NOT tell a girl you are going to deflower her. I'm sorry, its been a couple of days. Not okay. She really isn't in the right mindset.
But enough about Lennie's love life. There is just so much going on in this story. The whole mother part, was just sad. How could a grandmother put such optimism into children's heads, when she knows that what they want so much is never going to happen.
The whole flowers, the grandmothers flowers, I want those okay. They seem amazing.
After all the mess of this story, its okay. I didn't love it, nor did I hate it. Its just okay. I didn't connect to it, as much as I wanted too, but I guess that is also a good thing.
It was written well. But i didn't like the characterizations. The teenagers seemed too old to be that age. They were ALL mature. And they lived in a hippy town. A hippy town would not have all mature teenagers. That would not happen.
Either way this book, was something. I didn't really put down, because I was drawn in. I think if your interested in the story read the book. But if you are disappointed in the end don't worry, because you're not alone.
Rating: ★★★ 3.5
No comments:
Post a Comment