All The Bright Places - Jennifer Niven

All the Bright Places – Jennifer Niven

All the Bright Places, is the first book by Jennifer Niven that I have read. I haven’t really been made aware of this authors other work, so had to do a quick google to see what other books she has written and was surprised by just how many she has produced, and for me to not be so aware of her. Never the less, I am glad I found her eventually. All the Bright places is a moving story, I know the back of the blurb likens it to The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park. I can see where this is the case, but this book is brilliant in its own right, and left me a complete emotional wreck, to the point that I finished it at midnight on a Sunday night in complete tears, knowing I should really go to bed as I have to be up early for work in the morning.

‘Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.
 
Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.
 
When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.’

All the Bright Places is told from two differing perspectives, from two main protagonists, Theodore Finch or Finch as he is better known as, and Violet. We meet the pair of them as they are perilously perched on the edge of the school bell tower, and from there, the story begins.

Jennifer brings to us such unique quirky characters. Finch who each week is a different ‘Finch’ I particularly liked ‘Badass British Finch’; he is such a loud, quirky and standout character for me. Despite the hidden struggles he faces and the amount of time he spent ‘asleep’ the moments when he was ‘awake’ he commanded attention, and stood out as confident and loud. Despite his internal battle of ironically not really being seen. It is with his loud persona, that his relationship with Violet develops, seeing her struggle when attention is drawn to her; especially after the tragic accident she was involved in the year before. Finch is able to relieve her of that, putting the lime light back on him.

I really struggled seeing Finch’s family dynamic, you soon realise as time goes on, this is more than a family that has merely gone through a divorce, it looks as if there was some physical abuse too, I almost believe that whatever Finch faces every now and then, is similar to what his dad suffers with. Finch mentions his father suffers with the blackest of black moods, and no one can reach him when he is like that. I can’t help but compare that to what Finch goes through, especially as he mentions he wasn’t really here for most of winter. I also feel his older sister Kate acts more like a parent figure towards him, and she is only a year older. His mother is so wrapped up in the pain of their father leaving and working two jobs, she barely notices the struggles her son is going through, and it is her daughter who checks the voicemails from the school, who calls in sick on Finch’s behalf. I find it amazing how oblivious Finch’s mother really was, and in the end, I felt she didn’t really care. It was just assumed it was something Finch just did, it was his thing. There was no worry for her child.

Now you may be thinking that makes no sense, you are being very cryptic, but that is because I don’t want to spoil elements in this book that shocked me, and moved me, and quite frankly had me in tears, as I feel you should go into this book not knowing what to expect, just like I did. I mean I had a general idea that this book was about mental illness, I mean it starts on the edge of a bell tower, but the journey the book takes you on, is incredibly sad, and moving.

Violet is our other main protagonist, you would think her family and school life were perfect, if you didn’t know about the tragic accident the year before. The story circling Violet is all about Finch getting her back into that happy bright place again, she has been given the second chance, a chance to keep on living, and Finch is pivotal in getting her back on her feet, and back out seeing the world, not allowing her to close herself off again, but allowing her to move on, and not hold so much regret, guilt and anger.

The dynamic between the two was brilliant, and I felt like it wasn’t too much of an insta-love, as you see Violet battling with the way she feels, not wanting Finch to get to close, but then wanting him to get close. Then you see Finch, falling for Violet, but then not wanting to get too close as he didn’t want to hurt her. It felt to me like he had this clock running down to the day he was going to die, he keeps referencing not having the time. Either way the relationship they did share was brilliant, I loved the humour, the sarcasm and in turn the banter they had with each other, it was brilliant to see the positive effects they had on each other. To the point you almost feel like everything is perfect and fixed…a happily ever after in the works….

When the ending came I was in disbelief. I kept turning the pages hoping and praying it was a trick, it was a mistake, it was all wrong. Jennifer couldn’t possibly do that to us. I spent those last few chapters in tears, just reading and weeping more and more. I’m usually quite a hard one to break, if it has something to do with an animal, i.e Marley and Me, I break in and instant, when it is something like this, I’m usually ok to read through it, tear free. But this broke me, it completely shattered me, I felt the pain, the shock and the anger. I felt every raw emotion Jennifer wanted us to feel, and it really left a lasting impression on me.

This is the second book over the weekend I have read that has covered the topic of mental illness, and it offered a whole other side of the spectrum in views into just how it affects people, not just those suffering with mental illness, but those around them, family members, friends, loved ones. It leaves a lasting imprint on so many people’s lives and it is truly heart breaking knowing just how many people are going through this, suffering with mental illness, and in turn feeling like there is only one way out. This story has really left me wanting to do more to help those who suffer with mental illness, even if it is just to help raise awareness for it, and to say ‘Hey, just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist r it’s not a real illness!’ everyone is a closed book, no one knows the struggles or battles people are internally facing each day, so as they say, never judge a book by its cover.

Even though this book left me an emotional wreck of a person, unable to shut off my mind to go to sleep and be up bright and early for work the next day, I enjoyed every second of it, as it was a real eye opener, and it was also such a great read. I read this book in a day. I did struggle at first with it, as Finch’s character is quirky to the point that you struggle to keep up with it and take it in. But once you get used to his ways you instantly love his character and the wit he brings to the table. Jennifer really created brilliant characters in this story. Characters you really fall in love with and invest in.

I would 100% recommend this book, and say if you are a fan of John Green or Rainbow Rowell, then you will enjoy this novel by Jennifer Niven, it has brilliant, easy flowing writing, that absorbs you into the pages, and brings a really profound story to life. It will leave you with all of the feels, but you won’t regret a second of it, just make sure you have some tissues to hand.

I have also just discovered that this is being made into a movie, with Elle Fanning cast as Violet. It is currently scheduled for release in 2017…so you all have plenty of time to pick up the book and give it a read before the movie is released!

I have given this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.