The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Published by Penguin Group, 2010

"The Sky is Everywhere" by Jandy Nelson was originally published on March 9, 2010 by Penguin Group where they are currently located in the United Kingdom. The young-adult fiction novel rose to fame after the author's publication of "I'll Give You the Sun". As a young adult, I find that reading material that is sappy romantic and full of flowery adjectives is more interesting than that of mystery novel. To me, this book was an easy read, but I believe that may have had to do with the fact that the main character, Lennie, and I have similar interests— music and literature.

The story begins with a young girl named Lennie who lost her sister recently to a heart problem. Lennie grew up in the shadow of her older sister and often viewed herself as a "companion horse to her", meaning she was basically living for her company. Lennie's family dynamic was strange— her mother was considered to have the "restless gene", meaning she was unable to stay in one place too long and had the inability to commit, leaving her grandmother and Uncle Big to care for the two daughters she left behind. Lennie was found in a situation where she didn't really know what to do with herself. Her sister was gone and she abandoned her friends because she felt completely alone. She quit playing the clarinet and the only source of releasing her emotions was through writing poetry on scraps of paper and throwing the remnants around town.

When Lennie goes back to school, she makes amends with her friends she's recently deserted and meets the new kid in town, Joe. She and Joe immediately become close despite awareness of the past. Their relationship grows and grows without boundaries except for one. Her deceased sister's boyfriend, Toby. Toby was the only other boy that could walk into Lennie's household without permission, he was basically part of the family. When the sister passes away, they both find the that the only way they can cope is with each other. A strange romantic tension builds between Toby and Lennie all while at the same time a relationship is building between Joe and Lennie.

As strange as it was, Lennie found that Toby was the one who helped her remember her sister and they felt each others pain together. When she was with Joe, all her pain slipped away, music began to play once more, and all the depression turned into happiness.

The most important part of the novel was Lennie's epiphany. Once Joe had discovered Toby and Lennie's secretive grieving relationship, he is absolutely heartbroken and Lennie struggles with the idea that her sister would never forgive her. Lennie is faced with the situation at hand and attempts to make things right between all. She realizes in the end that the only way to deal with grief is to accept that it is a part of you and to look ahead to the future. She realizes that there is no point in attempting to go back and change the past, because it's already been done.

Overall, the novel was inspiring to me in some ways. Throughout the novel, Lennie takes initiative and changes her actions. She fights her way out of her depressed state with the help of Joe, and makes it to the point of realization. To me, as a young adult, that is inspiring. This book is the type for someone who is battling depression and the death of a loved one should opt to read.