All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven | Book Review
Last week, on my commute to and from Las Colinas, TX (right outside of Dallas), I listened to the most incredible audio book called All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. It tells the story of two main characters:
1) Theo who has always had a fascination with death and who's always been on the cusp of suicide. He's curious about how death will feel and what happens after you die and how he's going to leave the world. He's spent most of his life being judged by his peers because he's unapologetic about what he loves, and he's always felt that if he wants to do something, it needs to be done right then. He has periods of extreme highs and horrible lows, and because of that, no one really knows what to do with him. His family mostly ignores his antics and his peers constantly make fun of him and call him names.
2) Violet who has spent the last year mourning the loss of her older sister who died in a car accident that she was in as well. She tiptoes around and uses her sister's death as a way to get out of school assignments and dismiss anyone who tries to get close to her, including her school counselor, her parents, and her so-called friends. She's lost her passion for writing and her life is just at a stand still.
It was easy to fall in love with these characters, and this book really does take you on an emotional rollercoaster. Jennifer Niven takes you into the perspective of people who have considered taking their own lives, and I think it provides readers with a unique view on something that more people should try to understand.
You can watch my full video review below and also hear a few of my thoughts on suicide. I also share a little bit about the Always Keep Fighting campaign that Jared Padalecki started with his Represent t-shirt campaign.
I give this book a 5 out of 5. I'm blown away by the fact that this is Jennifer Niven's debut YA novel, because it was seriously incredible.
