The Sky is Everywhere: Book Review

Book Review

 

Title: The Sky is Everywhere

Author: Jandy Nelson

Genre: Fiction/Young Adult

 

 The Sky is Everywhere follows the story of Lennie Walker who is trying to cope up with the sudden demise of her sister. Her grief manifests itself into poems, and little notes that she plants in different places. While Lennie is grappling with her loss, and trying to find her footing, she gets into a relationship with her late sister’s fiancée. At the same time, there is Joe who helps Lennie find solace in music. As the story progresses, Lennie discovers aspects of her sister that she never knew and feels distant from her. The book goes on to reveal Lennie handling complex dynamics, and her palatable grief. 

 

Narrated in first person from the point of view of Lennie, readers are treated to the interiority of her torrid emotions. The writing is lucid and poetic, giving it a certain rhythm and cadence. This rhythm is found in the dialogues which is the strongest point in the book. Whether it’s the rapidity in the exchange between Lennie and her friend, or the smooth flow between Lennie and Joe in their first interaction. 

 

The author inserts some interesting imagery like the spotted plant and the forest bedroom. This lends well to some of the quirky characters like Lennie’s grandmother and uncle Big. While the characterization of Lennie was sketched well, I personally did not agree with her relationship with two guys at the same time. As the line in the book says, grief makes you do the strangest things, its interesting how the author has explored how different people handle grief. The character of Joe is someone you’ll easily fall in love with. The book also touches upon themes of family, parenting, healing, and forgiveness. 

 

While its classified as a YA novel, the universal themes will tend to resonate with readers of all age groups.