The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson.
It’s been quite a while since I made a book review. Pardon me for my lack of time due to school work. And since it’s vacation, I finally had the chance to knock off some books from my to-read list. Here’s one good book I finished a while ago.
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What do you do when your sister, the closest relative you have, dies? How can you survive, when you believed in a promise that was shattered with her sudden death? A promise that led you to believe that she will never leave you like your mother did. How do you deal with the pain and the loss?
Lennine Walker is the typical younger sister. Unlike Bailey, the older one, Lennie is the companion pony, the one in the sidelines. She was the boring band geek clarinet player. She was never the center of attraction. That spot was solely for Bailey, the outgoing one, the actress, the sister who’s full of life. That is, until one unfortunate day when suddenly, it all ends for the older sister.
Now, although the two maybe opposites, they were quite close. Very close indeed, due to them being abandoned by their mother. Lennie and Bailey do not know much about their mother excpet for the fact that she is a wanderer. And so, as they were left to grow with only their Gram and Uncle Big, they don’t have anyone to turn to but each other. So how was Lennie supposed to go on with her life without her big sister, Bailey, who was always there for her, the one who knows what to do?
And in the picture comes Toby and Joe. Toby was Bailey’s boyfriend. Like Lennie, he was enveloped with such grief due to Bailey’s death. Toby was the boy who understands Lennie’s sorrows and struggles. To Lennie, Toby is the only one who she can share her emotions with. But up to what extent? And then there is Joe, the new boy at school. This is the charming one, the boy with sunshine written all over his face. The guy every girl wants to be with, the talented musician. The guy responsible for Lennie’s heart to pound so hard it might burst. Joe was the one who can make Lennie forget about all the sadness in her heart with just one blissful kiss.
And so the story goes. Just like any other love triangles, Lennie was torn between Toby and Joe. She was certain that she is in love Joe. He sends her reeling the sky and beyond with every touch and kiss. His music connected with hers. The passionate guitarist and the soulful clarinetist. The perfect match. Through him, Lennie can bury all the memories of Bailey, even for a while. But then there was Toby, who needs her, the guy who craves her company. He is the one person who exactly knows how big an impact Bailey’s death was. They found memories of Bailey in each other. Lennie was drawn to him due to sympathy and loneliness. But there would always be that big guilt looming over her everytime that they are together. So really, who should she choose?
I also love the fact that the book was sprinkled with a dash of poetry in every other chapter. Each chapter ends with a handwritten poem by Lennie found in random places. In the book, Lennie is the silent type. She doesn’t easily share what she feels to others. Instead, she writes it down, anywhere, and just throw it away in random weird places. It may be on a takeaway cup, a tissue, a newspaper, anywhere. I think that it is her way of letting her emotions out.
The Sky Is Everywhere is not the typical sad book. Yes, it deals with grieving and loss, but not with the tear-jerking, too depressive manner. In fact, there are a lot of humorous exchange between the characters. To me, it was a very honest interpretation of coping. Nelson wrote in a way that readers could see and feel how the characters were so torn about lamenting and moving on with life. In this book, we can see different views on how people manage with grief. It was a good read since the main character isn’t the perfect saint. In her journey of sorrow, she makes mistakes and fails to see what is right. But then with every mistake comes the realization of how wrong she was. The book really shows how a teenage girl grows as she comes face to face with the fact that one of the closest person to her heart had gone away. The readers get to laugh, mourn, cry and fall in love just like the characters. It is written simply and is a very easy read. Overall, I would give it a 4/5.
