I'll Give You the Sun

This book is one of the first to teach me how wonderfully odd people can be. Jandy Nelson’s ability to write about lovable, flawed people who see the world differently gave me the courage to take pride in my peculiarity.

With memorable characters and strong familial relationships, this book is one of my go-to recommendations for anyone wondering if there is space for the strange.

Teen twins, once close but now estranged, tell their tale in alternating sections. In an intriguing twist, Noah’s account takes place 3 years ago while Jude’s is in the present.

The reader gets bits of the full picture from each sibling until their turbulent narratives coalesce in a way that is both appropriately artistic and moving. Nelson weaves a great plot, but it’s her characters’ depth that makes this book exceptional.

Jandy Nelson’s writing is pure genius. I was blown away with her prose after reading The Sky is Everywhere (an excellent book as well), so when I’ll Give You the Sun released I gobbled it up. It’s the story of twins, sister and brother—Jude and Noah—brilliantly told from each of their points of view. Noah opens the book when the twins are thirteen and very close. He’s being bullied because he’s gay. Then it moves forward in time with Jude’s point of view when they’re sixteen and have drifted apart. Ultimately, at its core, I believe it is a story… show more.