Book Review: I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

I have been reading furiously over the weekend in order to get this review out, but I have to say it was a pleasure not a pain! I haven't been into reading of late (books as opposed to mags, blogs etc) but this one gripped me and now I feel like I really want to crack on with some more in my to- read pile.
I was very interested in reading this when I read it would be the first #sassybooks title (the blogger book club created by Hayley and Charlotte) as although I'm not usually into YA fiction, it was about twins, and being one myself, it really piqued my interest. One of the first things that struck me was how descriptive and emotional Nelson's writing is. It really is beautiful. Though I have to admit sometimes it was so abstract it was hard to get my head around! Art plays a major part of the story and the way she paints a picture with words really reflects this. Incidentally the art theme was also endearing to me as our parents met in art college. I wish I could say I'm as talented as they are but sadly I don't have the same flair!
I'll Give You The Sun revolves around twins Noah and Jude who were once 'more one than two' but through a series of events have ended up fragmented and so far away from each other, though they live in the same house. As I was getting into it, I wondered what it would be like to have a twin brother rather than a sister and if we would be as close as we are. Who knows! What I do know is that I could appreciate the special bond that twins have, as corny as it sounds. I was particularly taken with the part where Jude describes the first time they were apart in life. Not sure of a page number but location 3213 of 5276 on my Kindle if that helps. It really resonated with me.
 I liked that the story alternated between Jude and Noah, at different ages. I always find that books with alternating narrators are better at keeping my attention. It was good to see things from their point of view and to see how their pieces of the story fit together as the story progresses. Also, what I loved was how well developed the characters were. Nelson really brings them to life and you can imagine perfectly what they look they and how they act. The whole spectrum of emotions ( and probably more!) are covered from pure elation to crushing lows and everything in between. It's introspection brilliantly done. However I do wonder if anyone really thinks like that on a day to day basis- it would be very exhausting. Though I don't doubt that we all have our moments.
Normally with YA I find the characters to be quite immature. I'm 26 shortly and though I don't feel my age ( I've definitely not had a hard paper round)  I still find that I can't relate to a lot of the storylines, or have empathy towards the characters. However with this I didn't find that to be the case. Even the parts told by a 13 year old Noah struck a cord. I'm not sure how many teenagers are that philosophical, they surely exist of course, but in any case it's all the better for it.
 As emotionally descriptive as it is, it's still what I would class as 'easy' to read, without being fluffy and superficial. These are the types of books I enjoy best so I'm very glad I chose to read this as ordinary I don't think I would be drawn to it as, like I mentioned earlier, YA is not a genre I tend to go for. So thank you to Hayley and Charlotte for bringing it to my attention!
Definitely one I can recommend.