Book Review: The Sky is Everywhere

The Sky Is Everywhere
By Jandy Nelson
Dial Books
Publication Date: March 9, 2010
ISBN: 978-0803734951

In Jandy Nelson's debut book, 17-year-old Lennie Walker is used to being second: second chair clarinet in band, and second to her sister, Bailey, who's a whirlwind of color and imagination. But when Bailey unexpectedly dies, Lennie has to learn how to be the star of her own life, and write a story worth living. While copying with her sister's death, she, unexperienced in the ways of the opposite sex, finds herself torn between two boys. Toby, Bailey's boyfriend, shares her grief and let's her understand and accept what she's feeling. Meanwhile, Joe, an irresistible newcomer to town, takes her her grief away and propels her into a new exciting and musical life. While one boy understand her pain, the other helps her get past it. But as her sister watches over her, as she hopes, Lennie has to decide which one lights her life, and which one keeps her in the darkness she's used to.

It's hard to write a book about death, one that's original and not cliche. Although the devise can automatically evoke the reader's emotions, the story has to be honest enough to feel real. While some never actually reach the level of authenticity, The Sky is Everywhere does, with heart, raw emotion, love, quirkiness, and deep understanding.

Nelson draws beautiful characters, from the wildly enthusiastic (yet never actually seen, as the story starts after her death) Bailey, to the introverted and confused Lennie (named after John Lennon). The girls, who are three years apart, share a sisterly bond that's beautifully shown through flashbacks and small poems Lennie writes and discards throughout the book. Always the leader, Bailey creates a world for them to live in and Lennie stays along for the ride.

But in her new life, Lennie learns that the world has problems - people die. It's not as beautiful as her sister painted it. And in this realization, comes the central male figures, Toby and Joe. Toby, the typically hero out of a Victorian novel, can't get over his former love, and needs Lennie for support. And as their relationship stems from death, part of you tells them to stop, yet the other understands. Then Joe, with his mop of hair and never ending smile, sets the world of fire for Lennie, and shows her that there's magic in the air. By the end, even I was in love with him.

Balancing the story are Lennie's grandmother, who for all intensive purposes is her mother, as her real mother fled when she was one, and Uncle Big, Lennie's addicted to marriage uncle. They're always there watching over Lennie with diligent eyes and ears. The characters are relatable, intricately drawn, and wonderful. Each one more likable than the next.

What's most notable is Lennie's stages of coping. Her grief is real, complex, and the story shows her grow as the pages turn. And her self-recovery isn't easy, as it's full of mistakes and confusion, often brutal and completely honest. The characters aren't perfect, they're full of flaws and teenage behaviors. They don't know what to do because there isn't a clear answer when a sister dies. 

The novel is written beautifully, full of metaphors and descriptions. It's a book that should be read outside, letting it breathe in the air it describes on every page. Full of charm and utter realism, The Sky is Everywhere makes you cry and smile over and over again. I read it in two days, and want to read it again, just to revisit the characters.

Wonderfully written, and utterly addictive, The Sky is Everywhere, is a fantastic young adult novel that makes every reader feel eternally hopeful, and completely ready to take control of their life.

The book's official site (with excerpts and a book trailer)