On my bedside table: I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
Why I picked it up: I had been going through a YA fiction hiatus and needed an easy, non-committed read.
What it is about: Noah and Jude are twins. Noah the artist is constantly painting, either on canvas or inside his head, is shy and introverted, and is falling in love with the mysterious boy who lives next door. Jude and her cascade of blond hair spend their time surfing, jumping off cliffs and flirting with boys. In spite of being so different, Noah and Jude are inseparable. Until something happens. Except it’s not some thing, it’s a hell lots of things.
Noah and Jude drift apart, facing the fact that their lives are never going to be the same.
The story unfolds into a whirlpool of lies, secrets and hidden truths. As Noah withdraws more and more, Jude constantly feels like she has to save him, save his life, save him from himself. Until their paths cross again, and they both understand the need to join their two halves of the story and find their way back to one another.
Would I recommend it: Yep. This is not your typical YA story. The thing I appreciated the most is that Noah is gay and the book is not about that. He never questions his sexuality, he knows who he’s attracted to and he’s completely fine with it. Also I liked how the mother is portrayed: despite how the twins see her – especially Noah – she’s not perfect: she makes mistakes, she’s part of the problem, she’s one of the reasons the peace gets disrupted. Overall it’s quite a gripping book, not excessively cheesy and definitely deserves all the positive reviews it received.
Grass For Dinner 