The cover of I’ll Give You the Sun, written by Jandy Nelson, is bursting with color—bright strokes of orange, purple, red, and more, exploding out from the title. Book covers aren’t always an accurate representation of what lies within the pages, but in this case, it certainly is.
I’ll Give You the Sun tells the story of twins Noah and Jude, who, despite the overlapping genetics, are very different. Noah absorbs himself in his artwork, in the yellows and reds and blues of the pictures he draws every day, wandering in the forest near his house. Jude spends her time diving off of cliffs and surfing the waves, enough of a daredevil for both of them. However, a fissure is forming between the two siblings, one that is all too present three years later, when they’re both 16. Each of them gets to tell their side of the story—Noah describes the earlier years, starting from when the twins are 13, and Jude, the later ones. Together, the siblings weave a story with many different components, from the new boy next door that Noah can’t get out of his head, to Jude’s epic battles with their mother over being “that girl.”
One of the most striking things about I’ll Give You the Sun is Noah’s narration, which is as visual and unique as the pictures he draws every day. His artistry is woven into his voice, making the world seem different and bursting with color, and looking through his eyes is one of the many wonderful things about the book. I couldn’t get enough of Noah and his character, and was left wanting more even after I’d finished.
Jude’s narration is less visual, but still enjoyable to read, intermixed with a number of superstitions and her own voice. While the 13-year-old Jude was a true risk-taker, eagerly jumping off cliffs into the water below, Jude at 16 is very different. All she wants to do is repair the relationships that have been shattered through the years, and she thinks she might finally be able to do that with the help of a sculptor, Guillermo Garcia. But of course, she’s not the only one who has secrets.
Each of Nelson’s characters is well-realized and developed, becoming incredibly real on the page. They’re tied together in ways I never would have expected from the first chapter, and each houses a private grief that is portrayed masterfully. They’re each so human, in ways that keep them in the reader’s head even after the book has been set down.
Another thing that’s hard to forget about this book is the plot. So many elements are hanging in the air, but Nelson manages them not only well, but gracefully. By the last page, everything has meshed together, forming a story so original and complex that trying to tell a friend about it never feels like it’s doing the book justice.
I’ll Give You the Sun is addictive; encompassing everything from Michelangelo to meteors, all told in Nelson’s talented writing. I could have stayed in Noah and Jude’s world a long, long while, and I wouldn’t be surprised if others wanted to as well.
