I’ll Give You the Sun || Book Review

Hi guys! Today I’m doing a book review of I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson, which I read in the spring.

“I gave up practically the whole world for you… the sun, stars, ocean, trees, everything, I gave it all up for you.”

Summary

I’ll Give You the Sun is told from the alternating POVs of twins Jude and Noah- Jude as a sixteen year old and Noah as a thirteen year old. They were always close, until an unexpected wrench is thrown into their relationship that splits them apart.

Thirteen year old Noah is trying to figure out his high school plans and get into a local art school as well as find his place in it all while his daredevil sister is drifting farther and farther away.

Sixteen year old Jude is trying to overcome grief and the loss of her brother as she tries to find love.

Characters

This book conveys emotion through its characters so well- you feel their grief, struggles, wants and needs as if they were your own.

I also liked the fact that the book is told from Noah and Jude’s perspectives at different ages, and as you continue through the story, you understand the whole story through their individual halves.

Every character has a story that attaches you to them, whether they’re Noah and Jude or Oscar and Guillermo Garcia (the sculptor and his apprentice).

I loved every single relationship in the book, and though they are broken, they are committed to making it whole again.

Plot

Throughout the whole story, I was wondering something- What happened to Noah and Jude’s relationship? What happened in Guillermo Garcia’s past? What about their parents? and so on.

I also really liked the emphasis on artists; I rarely see books with 3+ artist characters. It was interesting to see the artist characters (Noah, Oscar, etc.) use their art to overcome their past.

What is bad for the artist is good for art. The terrible irony of our lives as artists.

Rating

I loved I’ll Give You the Sun so much that I gave it five stars. I would recommend it to anyone who likes realistic fiction and books that are covered with a plethora of emotions.

Have you read I’ll Give You the Sun? What were your thoughts on it? Let me know in the comments!