I'll Give You a Good Read

In preparation for a long road trip, I gave my mom the daunting task of picking out a book for me to read. She came back from the store with I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson, which ended up being the best book I have ever had the privilege to read. The book’s cover features a plain white background with one of the book’s best quotes written in bright, shiny colours, which foreshadows the vivid story that lies in the black and white pages.

It only took a few pages for me to get hooked to Nelson’s story, and it was so good that I finished it in two days. On the first page of the book, readers are ambushed by Nelson’s addictive and unique writing style. The reason why I’ll Give You the Sun is such a huge success is that Nelson writes in a way that is unlike any other author’s. The secret to Nelson’s writing style? It’s jam-packed with metaphors. Almost every single time she describes something in her book, it is compared to something else which is unexpected but still makes perfect sense. This creates a detailed picture in the reader’s mind, and allows us to connect to her story.

You can’t have a great book without a great plot, of course. And Nelson’s plot is amazing; filled with surprises and spontaneous twists that make it impossible to stop thinking about her book. The story follows Noah, a shy artist with big dreams, and his twin sister Jude, who’s an outgoing daredevil. They are inseparable, until they both face a traumatic event which tears them apart. The story focuses on how one event changes them as individuals, as well as how their relationship changes (but without the annoying preaching that many other young adult novels fall victim to).

Nelson tells the early parts of the story in Noah’s perspective, and the later parts in Jude’s perspective. Her writing style changes each time she switches perspective, and the character’s voices are realistic as the story really does sound like it's being told by teenagers. This strategy, paired with Nelson’s brilliant metaphor-infused descriptions of the characters, allows readers to connect with the characters in a personal way. It’s easy for readers to relate to the characters; quiet people will find themselves in Noah, and outgoing people will have no trouble relating to Jude. Throughout the course of the novel, readers will find themselves rooting for the twins.

It takes very little time for readers to connect with Noah and Jude, which is why I’ll Give You the Sun is such as emotional read. You’ll go from cheering on the twins with a smiling face to crying over the misfortunes that they are forced to face. However, hope is a prominent theme in the book, and is a feeling which lingers after the book is finished.

I’ve read my fair share of young adult novels, so I have plenty of other books to compare I’ll Give You the Sun to. And young adult novels are my favourite type of book to read, so maybe I’m a bit biased. However, I’m not the only one who is crazy for I’ll Give You the Sun. The book is a New York Times bestseller, for obvious reasons. Nelson has also won a boatload of awards for I’ll Give You the Sun, including the Printz award, New York Times Notable Book of the Year, and NPR Great Reads of the Year. And, like any good book, it has been confirmed that there will be a movie adaption in the future.

I’m happy to add that there is just one drawback to I’ll Give You the Sun; once you finish reading it, you’ll be conflicted whether to read it a second time or lend it to every literate person you know. It’s really that good!