Book Review: The Sky is Everywhere

Book-iography

Title: The Sky is Everywhere

Author: Jandy Nelson
Published: 1960; May 23, 2006

Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)

Format: Ebook

Pages: 354

Type: Stand-alone

Read: June 11-12, 2012

Literary Awards: ABA Indie Next Book, Junior Library Guild selection, Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction (2010), YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults (2011), Publishers Weekly Flying Start debut Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee (2013), Horn Book Fanfare Best Book of (2010), BCCB Best Book of (2010), Bank Street Outstanding Book for (2010), Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book of (2010), Australian Silver Inky Award (2010), Carnegie Medal (UK) Nominee, German Leserpreis Award (2010), Prix des Sorcieres shortlist

Bookshelves: YA, Inspirational, Self-Reflection, Contemporary
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 

What can I say?

I started The Sky is Everywhere yesterday after lunch, but I couldn't put it down. I kept reading and finally finished it at two in the morning. There I found myself awestricken by the characters (especially Joe!), the poems, the music, and Oh, the magnificent writing of Jandy Nelson. Her words danced in my ears as if they were notes perfectly partnered together. It was astounding!

The book begins with Lennie's (a.k.a. John Lennon) dying doppelgänger plant. Gram, her grandmother, belives that the health of the Lennie plant is adjacent with Lennie's overall condition. It is probably true since Lennie isn't emotionally stable at the moment. Her only and beloved sister, Bailey, just died recently because of arrhythmia. None of them expected Bailey's death. Besides, she is just 19 years old and looks perfectly healthy on stage. 

Lennie finds it difficult to accept her sister's death. Soon she becomes aloof with Gram, Uncle Big, her bestfriend Sarah, and even Joe, the new musical aficionado in town who visits her daily at home. Lennie thinks that no one understands her except Toby, Bailey's boyfriend. Toby goes to Lenny at night and they'll grieve for Bailey's death together. They'll try to find comfort in each other; however, their relationship grow a little more complicated. They find the wrong channel to express their grief.

Joe, on the other hand, is a musical genius. He plays almost all the instruments really well. Though he's new in school, he's more than qualified to temporarily replaced Lennie as the second chair clarinettist while she is on leave. He isn't just a musical genius, he's a heartthrob as well. He is hot squared, gorgeous squared, sweet squared, and the list goes on. And Oh, who wouldn't fall for his long eyelashes? Bat. Bat. Bat. Oh boy, he's "unfreakingfreakingfreakingbelievable!"

More than that, he is highly, deeply, completely, intensely, and passionately in love with Lennie! During summer vacation, Joe visits Lennie's home daily. He helps Gram; He brings dead bugs for Uncle Big (he loves dead bugs); And he patiently waits for Lennie until she finally wants to play music with him. I also love the way Joe respects Lennie as a lady. Joe wants to help Lennie move on from her heartbreak caused by Bailey's death:

"I’ve never met anyone as heartbroken as JL, I want to make her feel better, want to be around her all the time..."

But then, how will Lennie handle her situation? Joe is in love with her. She is in love with Joe. But TOBY...How about Toby and Lennie? And Bailey? 

Nelson handled this love triangle really well. I am also surprised by how the difficult issues (death, forgiveness, etc.) were treated wisely and truthfully in the story.

It's about death, life, love, family, acceptance, forgiveness, moving on...

As you read this book, I pray that your hearts will also be healed from the hurts, the pain, and the burdens you've been carrying. Enjoy reading! God bless!

"There once was a girl who found herself dead. She spent her days peering   over the ledge of heaven, her chin in her palm. She was bored as a brick, hadn't adjusted yet   to the slower pace of heavenly life. Her sister would look up at her and wave, and the dead girl would wave back but she was too far away for her sister to see. The dead girl thought her sister might be writing her notes, but it was too long a trip to make   for a few scattered notes here and there so she let them be. And then, one day, her earthbound sister finally realized she could hear music up there in heaven, so after that, everything her sister needed to tell her she did through her clarinet and each time she played, the dead girl jumped up (no matter what else she was doing), and danced. "

-Jandy Nelson 


This review is also available at Goodreads! :)


laurice-with-love <3