Every once in a while, I'll read a book that completely renews my love for literature--this was one of those books. I'll Give You the Sun is a beautifully written coming-of-age novel about twins Noah and Jude Sweetwine (swooooon at that last name) who are driven apart by tragedy, but are reunited by love, mystery, and a few common interests that they never knew they had. This is one of my favorites I've read this year. Jandy Nelson did a fantastic job with this book, and I wish everyone with a brain would read it.
Here's the Big Five:
1. SO MUCH NEUROTICISM. But in such a good way. All the characters exhibit such complex emotions and thoughts, and Nelson conveys them with grace and ease that I haven't seen in a while in a YA novel.
2. Plotline--tough. There are issues addressed in this novel that you wouldn't normally see brought to the surface in other YA plotlines. It's also very original in the sense that it branches out from the clichés that the genre tends to play on and, while not altogether excluding them, plays on the strengths and weaknesses of them and makes them that much more endearing.
3. The characters are lovable. That's not something I say often, but almost every character makes you want to connect with them.
4. Again.. I'm a big fan of P.O.V. switches (WHEN DONE WELL), and Nelson hit this one right on the head. It really makes the story mesh well and the details fit together much better with the switch.
5. The author's quirks definitely shine through. A lot of Nelson's own flairs can be seen throughout this novel--bits and pieces of her own family life, traditions, and even some characters were adapted from her life.
Overall, I give this novel a 10/10, and like I said, everyone with a brain should read it. I cried and I laughed, and I want my kids and my parents and my husband and everyone I'm close to, to read it, because it meant that much to me. Too much? Oh well.
xoxo.
