Book Review: The Sky is Everywhere

I read The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson in one day. That's right. I started it yesterday on my lunch break and continued reading it when I got home (even including it in my workout). It's not a lengthy read, true, but that's not why I read it in one day. I read it in one day because it's one of those books that you can't NOT read. It grabs you. Sucks you in. It makes you want to laugh and cry. It steals your breath away.

It's YA, told from the first-person viewpoint of Lennie Walker, a 17-year-old clarinetist who's just lost her older sister, Bailey. It's about grief, happiness, life and death, and the many, many forms of love.

From the book's blurb:

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.

It's an amazing and heart-wrenching story. I really can't say enough about it. But the thing that struck me the most about this story is the beautiful, unique imagery. Everything felt fresh, despite exploring familiar YA territory. Nelson's writing breathes on the page. Every paragraph, every sentence, was a treasure. There's nothing cliche about any of her descriptions. Honestly, when I grow up, I want to be Jandy Nelson. 


Read this book. Read it now.