The Sky Is Everywhere

Originally posted at [...]Where do I even begin? This book has wormed its way into my heart, just like Joe wormed his way into the heart of Lennie and her family, and I think it is going to be a very long time before I am able to "move on." And I think it's going to be a very long time before I read a book that holds a candle to The Sky is Everywhere. It's funny because I used to think I didn't "do" grief books. But then I looked at some of the books I read and reviewed recently and loved, like Saving June and The Fault in Our Stars, or If I Stay, and I have come to the conclusion that I actually DO do grief books. But you know, saying that any of those books, as well as The Sky is Everywhere, is strictly a book about grief is doing each a serious injustice. All of those books, and especially The Sky is Everywhere, are about so much more.From page one of The Sky is Everywhere I was hooked. From the beginning I knew that the story this young woman Lennie was about to tell was going to be something special. This book, it's writing, it's tone, it's mood, it's humor, it's authenticity, it's soul, is unlike anything I have ever read.Lennie- What I love about Lennie is that even though she has experienced a life altering loss, the death of her sister and best friend Bailey, and even though she is dealing with a MOUNTAIN of survivor's guilt, she still comes across as a regular 17 year old girl. Lennie's not prefect. She's a girl who makes her share of mistakes, the kind that make you go "Ooohh...Lennie, what are you thinking?" She's such a good person, her misguided decisions made me cheer her on even more. So The Sky is Everywhere is as much a coming of age story as it is a book chronicling the loss of a loved one. And thank goodness! Because to say that this loss has devastated Lennie and her entire family, is an understatement.My sister will die over and over again for the rest of my life. Were it not for the elements of a coming of age story, this book would be one dark, downward spiral. But it isn't! Instead it's the perfect combination of grief and hope. It's the loss of one part of life balanced with self discovery and first love.Gram- Lennie's grandmother comprises 1/3 of Lennie's family unit, and like all of the other characters in this book, her persona jumps off the page. I love everything about Gram. I love that she's not a small, fragile, little old granny but that she is just as tall in statue as she is large in life. I love that she's an artist, painting her sad, willowy 'green ladies' and I love that she is the local garden guru, growing roses that are so intoxicating they can literally cause people to fall in love when inhaled. Mostly I love how much Gram loves Lennie, and how she was more mother than grandmother to both her and Bailey.Uncle Big- Like Gram, Lennie's Uncle Big is a towering presence, and he's most definitely a lover and not a fighter. I love that Big is just one big ole hippy, happiest in the old growth redwoods that surround their home of Clover, California. Like Gram, and really the entire Walker family, Big is eccentric and endearing all at the same time.Sarah- Lennie's BF is loud, loving, loyal and HILARIOUS. Packed full of feminist punch, Sarah is a perfect friend to Lennie, calling her out when she makes a major mess of things but standing by her and doing everything she can to help her make it right in the end.Toby- Bailey's boyfriend Toby is one of the most complex characters in the story. On the one hand you want so badly to take away all of his pain and hurt and loss that he feels after losing the love of his life. And on the other you want to shake him silly at some of his actions following her death. A lot of readers have problems with Toby's character, and with his relationship with Lennie, but I'm not one of them. I completely sympathized and got it, even though I cringed while reading it.Joe- Oh my gosh. This character (*Loud Sigh*). There are many, many reasons why I love The Sky is Everywhere. The coming of age story contained within; the element of magical realism; the strong yet eccentric family unit; the humor; the perfect setting, the undeniably gorgeous writing; and the elements of poetry and music inserted. But really, as shallow as it may be, I don't think this book would mean half so much to me were it not for the relationship between Lennie and Joe. In a recent Top Ten Tuesday, Joe earned the top spot in my list of fave Jail Bait Book Boyfriends and the reasons are many. It's his beauty, both external and internal; it's his genius musical abilities; and it's the fact that he can make everyone fall in love with him when he flashes his megawatt smile and bats his extraordinarily long eyelashes (Bat. Bat. Bat.). But I think what makes Joe so perfect to ME is that the boy wears his heart on his sleeve. He is so open, so honest with his feelings. He just puts it all out there for Lennie and everyone to see and even though this makes him vulnerable, and potentially prone to heartache, there is something so lovely about a character like this. Joe is youth and hope, and the 'joy of life' personified. When a person like that walks into the lives of Lennie and her broken family, it's impossible for them not to fall under his spell and begin to feel hopeful as well.Bailey- Even though Lennie's sister Bailey has been dead for several weeks as the story begins, we still get a hauntingly beautiful picture of who Bailey was and what she meant to her family and friends through the memories, dreams, and poetry of her sister. This inclusion added a heartbreaking yet amazing layer to the story.In addition to these incredible characters, Nelson has created a gorgeous backdrop set amid the old growth redwood forests: Clover, a fictional town in Northern California. And the setting is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Jandy Nelson's musical writing in The Sky is Everywhere.Examples abound: "Good." He brushes his thumb on my cheek , and again his tenderness startles me. "Because I'm going crazy, Lennie." Bat. Bat. Bat. And just like that, I'm going crazy too because I'm think Joe Fontaine is about to kiss me. Finally. Forget the convent. Let's get this out of the way: My previously nonexistent floozy-factor is blowing right off the charts. "I didn't know you knew my name," I say. "So much you don't know about me, Lennie." He smiles and takes his index finger and presses it to my lips, leaves it there until my heart lands on Jupiter: three seconds, then removes it, turns around, and heads back into the living room. Whoa-- well, that was either the dorkiest of sexiest moment of my life, and I'm voting for sexy on account of my standing here dumbstruck and giddy, wondering if he did kiss me after all."(If you're like me you were reading that and thinking it was dorky, all the way up until Lennie calls it. Much of the writing is like this. Seemingly bordering on the cheesy or melodramatic only to have a sharp does of humor inserted to keep it authentic. I LOVE this about The Sky is Everywhere.)Here's another:There once was a girl who found herself dead.She peered over the ledge of heavenand saw back on earthher sister missed her too much,was way too sad,so she crossed some pathsthat would not have crossed,took some moments in her handshook them upand spilled them like diceover the living world.It worked.The boy with the guitar collidedwith her sister."There you go, Len," she whispered. "The rest is up to you."You know what I love most about that poem? That it plays around with the notion of destiny. And there are more instances of this throughout the book (some of the best coming at the end:) But even with the concept of destiny and fate present, there's also a definite message of one being the author of one's own story. You might not think that these two contradictory ideas could tie together and work, but somehow they do. I'm being vague, I know, but I wanted to at least mention it because I thought it was brilliant.There's even more packed into The Sky is Everywhere, more about Lennie's family, her mom in particular, but I think I've talked enough. I'll end by saying this: this book is perfection. I think that if even one of the aspects I have mentioned above were missing, one of the characters or passages of the prose altered in the slightest way, this book might not be as powerful as it is. Without all of these parts together the books would not be whole. When I think about it, I have read plenty of great books that have amazing, well developed characters. And I have read books with incredible settings. I have read books with drop dead gorgeous writing. And I have read books that have fascinating story lines. But it is a rare, rare thing to find a book that perfectly captures all of these elements. The Sky is Everywhere is one of these rare books. I wish I had read it sooner. I can't speak highly enough about it. If you are one of the few who haven't yet read it, remedy that. Soon.5/5 Stars

I cannot promise that anything about this review will be coherent because love of this magnitude makes me crazy and addles my brain into a heavy, hazy bowl of love-mush. Into the breach, my dears…So I need someone to help with some crazy that’s going on over here. Like, real help for real crazy. Here’s the down low on my total loony-ness: I read Jandy Nelson’s absolutely AMAZING debut novel, THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE, for the first and second time (because, ya know, I read it twice back to back. Obviously.) in one week earlier this year. That’s two reads–and the second time was a real read. No skimming (skimming! This book?!? I couldn’t ever. Oh, the beauties I would miss!)–in three days. And then a couple of months later, I read it again….And then one more time after that not long ago. That’s FOUR TIMES I’ve read this book, read every word, and I’m already thinking about reading it again. Every time I was enraptured. Enamored. Engaged. I’m kind of obsessed with it. I don’t think I could NOT be obsessed with it if someone begged me profusely on their hands and knees. Offered me millions of dollars. Made me Velveeta Shells and Cheese. People, my love of this book is deeper than my love for MAC & CHEESE. Mac. And. Cheese.How bad was it (who am I kidding? It’s still pretty bad)? I wouldn’t return the copy I borrowed from my library until I got the copy I bought online immediately after I finished read #2 in the mail. Because I couldn’t bear the thought of not having it near me. Normally when I finish books, I put each one in my “finished books” pile. But THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE sat right next to me, on my night stand, on my bed, on the passenger seat of my car, just so that I could be sure of it, certain that I didn’t imagine its heartbreaking and life-affirming gorgeousness. Bat. Bat. Bat. (JOE! *Siiiiiiigh* Ok…*getting a grip* deeeep breaths…ok, I have a grip now.) I remember several nights when I brought my copy to work with me IN ADDITION to the book I was actually reading at the time just in case I was overcome with the gripping urge to flip through and reread some of my favorite parts. (It happens. Ummm….a lot-ish.) I glance at it longingly. I think about the characters, who are so so real to me now, and wonder how they are doing (because they ARE real and they are WONDERFUL), with Gram’s heady, aphrodisiacal flowers and green ladies, and Lennie’s sweet and touching poems and singing lasagna, and Joe’s green eyes and guitars and the bedroom in the woods and Big and his 6th wife and Toby and his poor, lost almost-family and orange rings. Bat. Bat. Bat. Uh oh.I’m sunk.Again. And again.I can’t stop loving them and the story they tell and where their story comes from: Grief. Loss. Love. A sister-shaped hole that can only ever be filled with ghosts and memories and a little pang of sadness and a sense of some kind of cosmic FUBAR. How come Bailey was called to cut the line? What are we supposed to do now? Would she hate me for what I’ve done? She’ll never meet Joe (JOE! Bat. Bat. Bat), who has gripped me tight and pulled me slowly out of this hole. Gaaaahhhhh!! The tears! The heart! The love! The loss! The roses! The confusion! The bat bat bat! *Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh* Uh oh. I’m sunk. Again.I don’t doubt that this story slayed me because, like Lennie, I have a sister who is both my opposite and my very dearest and best friend, a sister who IS Bailey in so many ways. When Lennie grieved, I grieved as well, not because my sister is gone but because I can empathize with the gut-busting, life-exploding loss. The sisterly affection was so tenderly wrought and so beautifully written that it overcame all of my senses and turned me into a babbling, weepy doofus. It was the BEST FEELING EVER.Speaking of the writing…nope. I can’t even. I’ve run out of words that are worthy of describing how gorgeously this book was written. And let me just say, some of my very favorite parts were Lennie’s poems, and I’m not usually one to be down with poetry. But seriously, THIS:There were once two sisterswho were not afriad of the darkbecause the dark was full of the other’s voiceacross the room,because even when the night was thickand starlessthey walked home together from the riverseeing who could last the longestwithout turning on her flashlight,not afraidbecause sometimes in the pitch of nightthey’d lie on their backsin the middle of the pathand look up until the stars came backand when they did,they’d reach their arms up to touch themand did.And this:Rememberhow it waswhenwekissed?Armfulsandarmfulsof lightthrownrightatus.Aropedroppingdownfromthesky.Howcanthewordloveandthewordlifeevenfitinthemouth?*dies*THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE was gorgeous and thoughtful and real and moving and I LOVES IT SO SO MUCH.Also, can I just add one more thing? I LOVE the cover–the hardcover. (Although the paperback version is very pretty, evoking Gram’s blooming garden AND the bed in the woods, it’s just not the same. Plus there’s an actual girl on it–book cover pet peeve A1 for me. Thankfully at least she only appears partially obscured on the bottom.) But this cover: the sky IS everywhere! From top to bottom. The blue is soothing and vibrant and…everywhere. Love! But it’s the heart that tickles me, being so full of metaphor for this story and for all stories that begin in sadness and grief. I love that it’s not the perfect heart shape. I love the color, bright and deep. But I LOVE that little hole! Look at it! It’s BEAUTIFUL! You guys, there’s a little hole in this heart that is filled with light. Gleaming, clear, bright light. An acknowledgment of both the loss that created it and the loved that filled it again with something wonderful, if not exactly the same stuff as before. *Sigh* … Uh oh. Again. I’m sunk. Bat. Bat. Bat.

I downloaded this book many months ago. Purely by chance, I started reading it at a time of personal loss. I found it spoke to me in so many ways, in both sadness at the loss and celebration of a life I had loved. Each time I think about this book or try to describe it to others the word 'quirky' springs to mind. The author has an oblique way of describing situations and emotions. Allegedly written for young adults, it spoke deeply and movingly to me, a senior citizen. Maybe I’m just young at heart (I hope so). The fact is, I loved it.

Its been a while since I have laughed and cried from happiness and sadness. I've never lost anyonereally close to me, but through Jandy Nelson's poetic words I have had a glimpse into a world whereyou are drowning in grief. Where the pain and sadness is so consuming you don't know if you can evenkeep breathing.We meet Lennie, who has very recently lost her big sister Bailey, very suddenly and tragically. One dayBailey was rehearsing for a play and her heart just stopped. Lennie lives with her Gram and her uncle bigwho were both such marvelously written characters. All trying to deal with their grief in their own wayand all making their own mistakes. I loved Lennie and I loved the Bailey who we only got to know throughher sisters words, but it was so apparent that Lennie was truly lost without her, haveing in her own wordsalways been the companion pony to Bailey the "racehorse". We watch as Lennie blooms and realises thatshe is just as special and also "the colour of extraordinary".Expectedly Lennie makes mistakes along the way, she confuses her grief at the loss of her sister and herdesperation to have her sister back with her feelings for her Baileys boyfriend. So wanting to have somepart of her back, Lennie ends up kissing Toby even though she's falling head over heals, crazy in lovewith Joe. Her dispair when Joe finds out and won't talk to her is almost that of the despair she feltwhen she realised she would never see or speak to her sister again. Its all so beautifully written youcan almost feel your own heart break as you're reading this. Its rare that you come across something sobeautiful and touching and heartfelt. I'm so sad I have finnished this book, but then I remember that I canread it again, whenever I want to.Also, if you can, buy the hardcover edition of this, blue cover with the elastic band around. It looks likeit could be Lennies real diary, and the pictures and the use of colour makes this far more enjoyable.It doesn't effect the story obviously, but this books is a beautiful in its presentation as it is in itswords. I have seen the paperback and in comparison it is so dull, this hardcover edition really adds to thereading experience. It just looks so gorgeous and realistic. Defo go for this one if you can.I can't see that Ms Nelson has anynore books yet and I impatiently wait for her to write more.She's an exceptional writer with an amazing talent. One hell of a debut!

`There were once two sisters who were not afraid of the dark because the dark was full of the others voice around the room...'But now there's only one, because 19 year old Bailey has died and her 17 year old sister Lennie is left alone in her grief, apart from her Gram and Uncle Big.`What happens to a stupid companion pony if the racehorse dies?'Shattered by her sister's sudden passing, the only person Lennie feels she can turn to is Bailey's boyfriend Toby. And then the unthinkable happens and they kiss...`What if music is what escapes when a heart breaks?'Arriving into this mess is the gorgeous newcomer to school, Joe Fontaine. From the moment Lennie meets him at band practice there's instant electricity between them, and after never having anyone special in her life, Lennie is irresistibly drawn to two different boys. Can she go on with her life without Bailey to lead the way?This is breathtakingly, incredibly, heartbreakingly beautiful. Debut author Jandy Nelson - how can anyone be this talented when writing their first novel? - creates a cast of compelling characters and manages to make Toby and Lennie so sympathetic that what seemed to be a rather unlikely love triangle works surprisingly well. I read through the entire book in a three hour train journey, stopping only for ten minutes to tear myself away before I burst into tears at Lennie's grief. (This worked originally but by the end I was crying anyway!)I loved the setting of the book in Clover, a town where Lennie's Gram, before Bailey's death, used to walk around with shears pruning people's flowers, and Uncle Big routinely has women climbing up trees to spend time with him, and a music teacher will march his band out into the woods to play. This could have been really jarring with the overall themes of loss and grief but instead provides a welcome gentle touch in comparison with the heavier parts of the book.And then there's the poems! At either the start or end of nearly every chapter, Nelson provides us with a poem written by Lennie. Written on paper cups, on scraps of paper, or carved into trees or benches, they are presented beautifully and make this a book that's not just gorgeously written but absolutely breathtaking to look at. I'll almost certainly buy a second copy of this one, because it's too wonderful NOT to lend to people but I want to keep it in its pristine condition for as long as possible.Very highest recommendation to pretty much everyone in the entire universe but particularly fans of Lauren Oliver, Jenny Downham and Francesca Lia Block. This is my favourite book of the year.

I seem to be neither here nor there after finishing this book.On one hand I loved it - it is emotional, funny at times, yet the scene of unusual household dealing with grief is so poignantly real that it gives you shivers. Joe is wonderful - and all interactions with John Lennon are brilliant.The poems, the music, best friend... Simply brilliant.But at the same time the Toby/Lennie bit and the drama it causes did not make sense to me. I tried, really tried to accept the premise of it being the result of two people that being close and not quite themselves because of their loss, but... I simply did not get it.So despite enjoying the book overall I could not give more than three stars since the only drama driver throughout felt out of place :(I have 'I'll give you the sun' on my to-read list, so definitely sticking with Ms Nelson.PS - this book 'felt' like Rainbow Rowell to me

Lennie's sister has died, leaving her with a whole complex set of emotions to make sense of at a time in her life when she should be out having fun, playing clarinet and meeting boys. It's a story about Lennie's need to feel close to Toby - her sister's boyfriend - at the same time as new boy, Joe Fontayne, arrives in school. Grieving turns to guilt, turns to love, and back again. Lennie wrestles with all this stuff on her road to recovery, and at times it's really painful to read.This book has many wonderful characters - the kind you go away and think about after, forgeting they were just out of a book - and Lennie herself is gorgeous - she's romantic and angsty and funny and sweet.There is so much to love in this story - the plot, the simply gorgeous walk off the page characters, the voice, the complexity of grieving, the humour, the beautiful and evocative language... A terrific read.