I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
Published: September 16th 2014 by Dial Books
Rating: 4.5 – 5 Stars
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Family,
Source: Purchased from Waterstones
Find: Goodreads | Amazon | Waterstones
Goodreads Summary
Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways . . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else—an even more unpredictable new force in her life. The early years are Noah’s story to tell. The later years are Jude’s. What the twins don’t realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to one another, they’d have a chance to remake their world.

Putting my thoughts into words seems to be a challenge regarding this book because no matter what I say I simply cannot do justice to the beauty of this story. Jandy Nelson’s writing is both beautiful, powerful and thought-provoking which only heightens the emotional journey you embark on when reading this book.

I don’t think I’ve actually read a book that has a dual narrative from two separate time periods, Noah at thirteen and Jude at sixteen, and it was interesting to see how the actions of the past made its way to the present. Both Noah and Jude have a very distinct voice which highlights the eccentricities of their character and made each voice unique, distinct and artistic in their own way. To see the world through an artist’s perspective has always been a fascination of mine and so to have Noah and Jude’s passion for art be highlighted in their narrative offered us a new perspective of the world.

There are several relationships highlighted in this book. However, there is no doubt that the focus of this book is family. We see how Jude and Noah went from being joined at the hip to then being separated by grief, jealousy and misunderstandings. This is a book that is filled with a hurt that drives people apart but there are also some beautiful moments that bounds people together in their love. The complexities of this family dynamic was so well written and highlights the growth of these characters.

Love and family are at the heart of this book and I really enjoyed the two romantic subplots. I also enjoyed seeing how our secondary characters are entwined in the lives of Jude and Noah in both past and present and seeing the progression and growth of those characters as well as Jude and Noah’s.

This is definitely a book that you need to experience for yourself because it is driven by emotion. From hurt, to anger, and jealousy, to hope and love, you experience it all. My words do no justice to the emotional journey you’re taken on with this book.