June's Book Pick is the 2015 Printz Award winner, I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN, by Jandy Nelson. It's her second book, after THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE, which was an amazing debut for her.
Interestingly, I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN is told in the alternating POVs of a pair of twins: Noah at age 13, and his sister Jude at 16. We quickly become aware that Noah's part of the story occurs before whatever monumental events and betrayals come together to break apart this family, with Jude's part of the story taking place after.
At the outset, Noah is a sensitive, artistic kid, passionate about his art, and beginning to fall in love with the boy next door. Jude is the wild twin, surfing, cliff-diving, and wearing her dresses as short as possible. When their mom decides that they should both apply to a prestigious local arts high school, jealousy and competition begin to sour the close relationship these two have always shared. By the time Jude's narration takes place, Noah has stifled all of his artistic inclinations, and is living a lie as a popular jock with Jude's former in-crowd friends. And Jude is hiding in skull caps and lumpy clothes, filling her pockets with good luck charms, and making clay sculptures that are broken, each and every time, by her mother's ghost (she is absolutely sure of this).
This is a powerful story about love and expectations, competition, and jealousy, and about taking responsibility--in short, about typical family dynamics--but pushed to the limits before any redemption occurs. It's a tale that is wildly exhilarating and deeply despairing, and ultimately full of love. Ha--can you tell how much I enjoyed reading this one?
The way the author weaves these two threads is seamless, as the story evolves from two directions at once. Both halves are equally compelling and the mystery of the divide is constantly hanging over the reader. I would love to know how this story came to be told this way--at what point did she decide to construct it this way?
Have you read I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN? What are your thoughts on the story? the writing?
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