Reviewed by Sam@WLABB on
"I was alive. I burned brightly."
It is always difficult to read stories, which are not all sunshine and roses. They are especially difficult to read, when they hit close to home. But, this book made me think, and think hard about the issues presented: absent parents, mental illness, suicide. It's a great work that provokes such emotions and feelings and creates a dialogue.
I commend Niven on her ability to convey Theo's mind. Even before the phrase was uttered, I knew he was bipolar. I could totally sense the mania in his chapters. She also created a beautiful soul. There was so much more to Theo then his illness, and Niven did a wonderful job of conveying that we are more than our illness. I think Theo would appreciate this.
"The thing I realize is that it's not what your take, it's what you leave."
To quote Violet and Theo, this book was painfully "lovely". In a deja vu moment, the first 70-ish% of this book was so enjoyable as we "wandered" with Theo and Violet (just like TiFOS was). The last 5% was very poignant, and I appreciate the effort Jennifer Niven made to leave us with that.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 27 March, 2016: Finished reading
- 27 March, 2016: Reviewed