“This is what I want: I want to grab my brother’s hand and run back through time, losing years like coats falling from our shoulders.” – I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
Noah was once such an artistic soul, seeing everything in evident color and his twin sister Jude was once such a lively spirit though seeming to always take everything in a competitive stride. They both aimed to attend California School of Art with the support of their mother. A few years later, we find a completely different Noah and Jude. Noah stopped doing art altogether as he is now focused on sports and keeping a distance from his sister while Jude is no longer her lively self, hiding under a hat and a baggy sweater.
This book is written in two different points of view. We start off reading through Noah’s eyes when he is 13 and then it alternates with Jude’s point of view at the age of 16. It’s interesting because we get both halves of what happened that got them from point A to point B and we get to see these characters, once being so close, try to rebuild their broken bond. It’s a very cool way to put the story together. I’ve honestly never read anything like this before. You start off by reading about how happy everyone is and then you see that everything is distant in only a few years. As a reader, the more you read, the more you start to understand how things got to the way they are. Everything becomes more and more clean. I’ve asked a lot of questions and prayed that they all got answered by the end of the book. I was definitely not disappointed as all of my questions got answered in a very satisfactory way.
In my March Announcement, I mentioned that I’ve heard many different opinions on this book. I’ve heard that the beginning and overall plot was solid but the ending felt like it was lacking. I’ve also heard the opposite: That the plot was not strong but the ending was what made the book. I was curious to see what I would think of this book. In total honestly, I didn’t feel as though anything was lacking. There was the perfect build-up from one chapter to the next and closer to the end when I felt as though I had a mountain full of questions and theories, everything started to get answered one by one. I personally felt as though it was the perfect ending.
B wrote to me that he felt he couldn't finish the book yet. He felt such a huge connection to this book and didn't want it to end. She wrote me: "Have you ever felt like you've just peeked into another human being's soul? Only to realize that, just maybe, they've made you stare into yourself? Into the part of yourself that makes you who you are? I can't put my finger on it, but that's the feeling I get when I'm reading this book. Like I'm in this other world that only exists inside of me and yet I feel like I'm sharing it with this author, these characters and certain people in my life."
We absolutely loved this book. It was very captivating. You have moments where you laugh, where you cry or hold on to your seat. Everything is so well descriptive, especially Noah's point of view. The way he saw things was so unique and suited his personally perfectly. He saw everything so artistically. Jandy Nelson did amazingly for both points of view.
This story truly radiates in color and I couldn’t get the story out of my head for at least a week. It has definitely become one of my favorite books.
Needless to say, we both give this book a 5 out of 5!
What were your thoughts on the book? Did you guys feel differently?