I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

        When you’re growing up, everything is a challenge. Whether it be family drama, romance, or finding your identity, so many things can throw you for a loop. In Jandy Nelson’s I’ll Give You the Sun, twins Noah and Jude are experiencing all of these things at once. At age 13, Noah is timid but also a talented artist who is desperately in love with the boy next door. Jude is a thrill-seeking, outgoing girl who wears heavy makeup and can usually be found at the beach. No matter how different they may be, Noah and Jude are as close as siblings could possibly be—until a sudden tragedy takes the family by storm, and by age 16, they’ve become estranged from each other and have almost swapped personalities in their attempt to deal with grief. Both are secretly searching for a way to piece together the puzzle of what was really going on in their family before tragedy struck. Noah, who narrates the story of the earlier years, unwittingly already has half of the answer. Jude, whose story takes place during the later years, has the other. If they can just find a way to reconnect with one another, they could finally tie together the loose ends and maybe even make up for some mistakes that have left the weight of guilt on their shoulders.

I’ll Give You the Sun is one of those books that you really need to read yourself to understand. While the plot may seem confusing or plodding at first, Nelson’s brilliant way of developing characters and writing prose in a unique way will draw you in. The dual-storytelling format also leaves a gratifying sense of satisfaction at the end when various people and events gradually begin to connect to each other. In my opinion, despite it presenting itself as two different stories, it really does feel like one. If you enjoy teenage drama and like your books with a bit of flair, I’ll Give You the Sun is the book for you. It may be a bit longer than your average young adult novel, but I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end.

Submitted by Lauren Leon