"All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven, Review

After my English O-level Oral Exam, me and my dad were walking through Hamrun when I noticed a tiny little second hand charity shop. You never know what you're going to find in these types of shops, so I asked if we could take a look inside. My dad agreed. I walked to the very back of the shop where there were a few dusty bookcases. There was a special offer, 3 for the price of 2, and all the books were dirt-cheap anyway, so, determined to make the most of this amazing deal, I scanned the shelves quickly and picked out 3 books. "All the Bright Places" was one of them. It particularly caught my attention, because my media teacher had recommended the film to us.

I didn't start reading the book right away. It was only after I'd (almost) finished my O-level exams and found myself facing a hugely overwhelming pit of boredom.

To sum it up, this book is odd. I don't think I ever properly understood what was going on throughout the story. It's very artistic and poetic, I felt as though there was some deeper, profound meaning I was missing. I didn't understand the way Finch and Violet numbered their days at the beginning of each chapter.

I found a strange sense of comfort in this book. Reading about these characters immense struggles made me feel less alone, even if I couldn't completely relate to them. I liked the romantic element, even though this book is not primarily a romance. I also liked the part where Finch went to the support group, "Life is Life". I don't know why, but that was my favourite scene. Another scene that stood out was when Violet and Finch fell asleep together on top of that tower (was it a tower?). That was very sweet, even though Violet got severely punished afterwards, lol.

I finished this book lying in my bed, on the 5th June 2023, with the smell of my dad's ginger cake wafting upstairs. It's around 9.45 pm. I finished the book a bit earlier than that, though.

Would I recommend this book? I don't know. Probably not. I think it takes a very specific person to understand and appreciate it. Maybe I am not that person. Even so, this book felt warming. It made me feel like everything would be ok. Considering that this book talks about teen suicide, I think this is a very odd interpretation to come out of this story. Like I mentioned before, this book is weird. But I like that because, aren't we all a little weird?

Sincerely,

Ann