I’ll give you the sun by Jandy Nelson (Book Review)

A story of two twins, Jude & Noah both of whom narrate their intertwined story of love, life and bad decisions in a realistic heart-breaking way. This is Book 4 in my 52-weeks, 52-books challenge.

Check out the official website of Jandy Nelson here. 

Rather than get straight into the story, just a quick comment about the artistic page scrawlings. Throughout the book some of the important lines are scrawled across the pages (at least in my version; the one with the yellow cover). I really like these, what I call … moments. Like a painting or photo with a shaft of bright light or surprising bright colour, to me, they are an attempt to enhance the story of the twins who are also artists. Another interesting tool the author uses is how Noah files away ideas for future paintings; the author perfectly captures how the mind of some artist’s work. I particularly like this and it reinforces the idea that artists and writers should always carry a notebook with them to jot down ideas and observations.

 

So, the plot.

"At first, Jude and her twin brother Noah, are inseparable. Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude wears red-red lipstick, cliff-dives, and does all the talking for both of them. Years later, they are barely speaking. Something has happened to change the twins in different yet equally devastating ways . . . but then Jude meets an intriguing, irresistible boy and a mysterious new mentor. The early years are Noah's to tell; the later years are Jude's. But they each have only half the story, and if they can only find their way back to one another, they'll have a chance to remake their world". (source Goodreads)

The intriguing thing about the book is how the author tells the story of both main characters, she gives them separate identities and styles but writing Jude’s story at age 16 and Noah’s story at age 13 doesn’t work for me. Some might think it’s a clever tool to tell the story but I didn’t like it at all. Now, I understand it’s difficult to come up with a way to tell a story without relying on the old fashioned flashbacks but in this case, I think the old fashioned method would have worked better. I also much prefer when two authors work together when writing a story focusing on two main characters like Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green or What if it’s us by Becki Albertalli and Adam Silvera.

 

Even though telling both stories at different ages is not a game changer it’s still annoying. Like when you notice a plot gap or continuity error in a movie or TV series, to some it might seem like a small inconsequential thing but to others it causes a distraction that keeps gnawing like a dripping tap. But, this is the only negative thing I can say about the book.

It’s an interesting story told in a refreshing way and you keep turning the page to get to the juicy bits;

* What’s the story with Jude’s premonitions?

* How did Noah not get into art college when Jude did?

* How did their mother die?

* AND FOR GAWD SAKE when would they speak to each other and sort things out?

I’m not going to spill the beans, you’re going to have to read the book yourself to find out which (if any) of these plots will be resolved. All of the characters are relatable and real, the author does a fantastic job of allowing the reader to empathise with each of them, whilst the twins do horrible things to each other at the end of the day they’d still give up so much to make the other happy and eventually forgive each other. It’s also a great story following the lives of two artists, Noah confident in his abilities and Jude not so much but the way their individual struggles are captured is artistic and real. For me Jandy Nelson perfectly captures the inner thoughts and worries most artists (and writers) experience at some stage. The book covers all the usual topics; love (hetro and homo), heart break, death, loss, life struggles and forgiveness. All of these stories are well told and avoid cliché except for the homo relationship of Noah but the artists can’t get everything right. The book has won numerous awards and been shortlisted on several occasions. The highest accolade being the The Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature, awarded in 2015 by the ALA.

This is a book I will definitely be rereading to see can I get over MY  flashback issue, now that I know the ending I should be able to concentrate more on the style and content. The fact I’m willing to reread a book is probably incomprehensible to some people but to me it’s a high accolade, I read so much but there are few books I will reread. For now I’m giving this book a solid 8 out of 10 planets. After a reread it may climb to the lofty heights of 9.

John The Captain Ryan