A review by btr018
I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Did not finish book. Stopped at 13%.
I made it up to page 51 before I DNF. First, During Noah's perspectives he often views things around him as art pieces he makes with titles. This writing choice was something that I had trouble connecting with despite graduating from an art program myself, and it was similar to the problems I had with Last girls by Demetra Brodsky. I didnt connect well with Honey's Survival observations, and that a lot of authors portray art as a genetic thing with Jude and Noah being artists. I also think the portrayal of young artists in books can seem like that is all they are, and they really try and hammer in that anyone who likes art is divergent and cool when really it doesn't have to be that deep. I also feel there was a fetishization aspect on the artists part throughout Noah's story. The opening scene of the book is where
Noah is being restrained by older 10th graders in an attempt to throw him off of a cliff into water. During him being restrained and in supposed terror, he gets hard?
This was most likely done in an attempt to convey Noah's discovery of his sexuality, but that could have been explained with his drawings of men in his sketchbooks. Aside from him being an artist and gay, I feel like the author wasn't as invested in Noah's character as they were in Judes, judging by Judes chapters being unnecessarily longer. I found Jude especially boring and downright offensive in some instances. At least with Noah, his dynamic with his family, and him not being a favorite of anyone with the exception of mom, that was interesting and relatable to me. Most people can relate to being very obviously not the favorite in a given instance. However in Judes first chapter, she really craps on this idea. The one person who held Noah in a slightly higher regard due to his art ability, mom,
Jude regards her GHOST as breaking and ruining her stuff. I understand grief taking different forms,
but the way the artist portrays this feels really vindictive as she plays up Jude as being universally liked by everyone except maybe a little less by her mom than her brother for only that one single time where they had a drawing competition and mom picked Noah THAT ONE INSTANCE. There is also a scene in Judes first chapter where her grandmother
makes fun of someone's dyed dreadlocks on page 28 by comparing them to bananas springing out of his head and suggesting Jude runs away from them, which Jude AGREES WITH and says making fun of people in her head with grandma is just a tic.
Also in this same chapter, a dude named Randall rightfully says,
"this is your 8th sculpture that's broken for this one assignment. Maybe you're just not wedging or drying your clay enough."
And instead of listening to that, she decides the reason
for so much breakage for just one assignment, not even mentioning her numerous other projects, is her late mother's ghost which one of her classmates takes entirely seriously and at face value.
  She is having her father pay for this art magnet experience, and I feel like she is not at all appreciating it and is wasting a lot of materials that others could use, which seems like a common theme. In this first chapter, Jude is also magically granted
a visit to a master sculptor, and we're in a church. Jude describes new love interest as unbelievably hot which strikes me as really odd. Wait, okay. They're trying to set him up as a love interest who is in college. Jude is 16 which is under the age of consent in 19 states. Huge power dynamic. I do not know why we are going this route, it feels gross.
  Page 44. What the fuck?
This dude took her picture and is having an orgasm over it. This grown ass man in college. Apparently he's 'kryptonite' making her feel 'ravished???' across a room and he's not good for you. HE'S NOT GOOD FOR YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE UNDERAGE, SIS. FOCUS ON LEARNING WHAT THE POWERHOUSE OF THE CELL IS. OR SOME DUDE YOUR OWN AGE. WTF.
It is so obvious Jude is the authors stand in. What an awful character. Something else I'm confused about is
Zephyr had sex with Jude. Who she describes as a hunk. He kissed her boobs and she wasn't sure she liked it, it went further and couldn't handle it and went mute. Selective mute. But she's seen talking to a lot of people, even strangers. I think this book has no idea how mutism actually works. Is the author trying to portray her as mute or just less outgoing?
I'm not doubting this encounter is
rape. I'm doubting the integrity of the author portraying it. She's writing it as if this is something we should be tantalized over. That we should find it hot. This is beyond confusing, and while I do think it's important that we spread the message that S/A is not your fault, I also think this is a classic case of glorification.
Also, while I don't think you necessarily need to detail the walk or the car ride to every single setting, and this is probably really petty, but I'm kind of not vibing with suddenly teleporting places. First we're in a church, now we're in front of Mr.Garcia's house. Page 51.
"When I got his body, chest still as stone to shore, I was so furious at him I almost ROLLED him back into the surf."
That isn't funny. Not at all. Imagine if it was
any other method. 'I was so mad at him I almost left him on the noose.'
WTF? If this author is trying to make me like Jude it is not working. I understand being angry that
a loved one would hurt themselves. I really do. You feel abandoned, like they had no issue leaving you forever. But I would have never ever thought to leave anyone to die. Not once. Absolutely disgusting.
Also the first intro to the love interest is like the worst. The chemistry is so forced. Love at first sight just straight up doesn't really work in most cases, especially in slice of life novels.

God, I read a synopsis of the story because I just can barely stomach this book.
Jude doesn't send in Noah's application? Jude actively chose to play '7 Minutes of Heaven' with the boy Noah liked?
She absolutely doesn't deserve the happy ending she gets. How can you watch your brother suffer and hate him for getting a
bit more attention than you for one person, so much so that you actively make sure his life is hell, and get mad when he tries to end it?
Please someone explain to me why this book is good. Because I don't get it. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings