Warning : Prepare your Kleenex! It will be needed! This book will make you cry crocodile tears!
THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE is a debut novel by the lovely and very talented
Jandy Nelson. This book was firstly published in 2010 and it became an instant best-seller. So many book reviewers and book critics fell in love with this book instantly.
And I was no different. I picked this book only couple of weeks ago. I stumbled on it while browsing through Leeds' Waterstones. And after reading the blur on the back, I had to have in my collection.
*****
Lennie Walker, seventeen, Wuthering Heights obsessed, clarinet player, band geek. Also hopeless romantic, prone to scattering pose all over town and as of four weeks ago, sister less....
*****
Do you see why I couldn't put it down back on the shelf?
But let's start from the beginning.
The first thing which brought the book to my attention was the edition itself. I bought the newest edition of this book - only published this year.
This edition is designed to catch your attention. Firstly, it's blue. The whole book is blue. Even the spine and the pages are dyed blue (And you know how much I love when the publishers dyed the pages!).
White writing which makes a contrast to the blue, announces the title and beautifully compliments the design. 313 pages divided into 38 chapters. Almost every chapters is accompanied by a poem written by Lennie. What a beautiful touch. It makes the book more original and helps you to connect with Lennie and her story even more. I have to say - well done the graphic team behind this edition. A job well done!
The writing is so mesmerising and original that you can't help but fall in love with the story straight from the first page. It's relate able, easy to read and very modern. You won't even realise it and soon enough you will not be able to put the book down. It gets under your skin.
The story itself is a beautiful, heart-shattering tale of love and loss. Its uniqueness is compelling. The heartbreak Lennie has to go through will leave you in tears. Her pain will become your pain. Her tears and confusion will become your tears and confusion. All the way through you will keep on thinking and making ideas of how would you react to a tragedy like hers. What would you do if you lose the person you love the most? And how would you deal with the fact then in the middle of grieving you start to fall in love?
Every single chapter... every single page is a pure perfection.
Lennie is just a girl who is in so much pain after her sister's death. She is confused. She is hurting. She doesn't know how to cope with life without her best friend. And this boy comes along and she is finding herself falling in love. Deeply. And
Joe.. Well he is just dreamy gorgeous boy who helps Lennie to move on from her pain.
That brings me to conclusion about this book. If you haven't guessed yet, I really really really liked this story.
It's one of those stories which will leave a mark on you and it will change you. So thank you Ms Nelson for writing this story!It was a beautiful ride.
