The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Title: The Sky is Everywhere
Author: Jandy Nelson
Published: New Edition 5th February 2015
Publisher: Walker Books

Review

The Sky is Everywhere came out out back in 2011, and it was one of those books that I meant to read, but never did. Now I can finally say I have.

Lennie's world is thrown into the spotlight when her big sister Bailey dies suddenly. She is used to being in her big sister's shadow, but now she has a love triangle to deal with, one comforting her and the other  drawn to her by her sorrow. The two cannot collide without an explosion happening in Lennie's world.

The Sky is Everywhere is one of those books that really gets to you. It puts into words our real human feelings that sometimes seem impossible to explain. Jandy manages to tackle the very real and raw issues of grieve and not only the pain and the guilt that it inflicts upon us but also the crazy things it makes us do. Grief is a complex thing and Jandy really gets this across to the reader.

At first I must admit I really could not warm to Lennie. I completely understood what she was going through, but she came across as selfish as she didn't seem to realise that she wasn't the only one that was grieving. She shuts herself off from Gram and Big, who only want to help her and she can't see that actually they might need her. Her friendship with her best friend is even under threat. This was clearly just Lennie's way of dealing with her grief, but I still found it hard to empathise with her. Surprisingly though, I completely understood the love triangle and that kind of self-destruct button Lennie seemed to have. It highlights once again how intricate and complex grief is and also love. 

The second half of the book was much better to me. Lennie starts to change emotionally and she starts to see things outside of her own grief. The second half actually was what made the book so great for me, it made me understand Lennie more. Jandy writes so beautifully and I really managed to connect with the emotions of Lennie. I think if you are feeling down or upset about anything, this book will really help.

The best thing about this whole entire book was the poems. At the beginning and/or end of each chapter is one of Lennie's poems. Lennie writes them on everything and anyway, whether it's a candy wrapper, a takeaway cup, a tree or the bathroom wall. The book even presents them as if you are seeing them on what they have been written and I greatly looked forward to these bits.

I read this surprisingly quickly, it's a book to really throw yourself into and come out feeling like you understand the world a bit better. I am really looking forward to Jandy Nelson's next book.