All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
Hi, I am Sarah. I am fourteen years old and an avid reader; it is one of my favorite things to do. Inspired by authors’ creations of magnificent places and surprising havens built by simple letters, I aspire to be an author and, meanwhile, nurture the love to write.
Theodore Finch is a boy who is constantly changing, shifting, unpredictable, spending his time doing anything he can to stay Awake. He is fascinated by death and constantly ponders every way he might die—and manages to find something, every time, to keep him alive.
Violet Markey is a girl who is predictable—the girl who writes and completes her assignments, stays in the popular crowd and isn’t reckless. She lives for the future, counting down the days until she can graduate and leave town. But now, reeling from her sister’s death in a car accident, that life seems like a distant memory.
Then, 154 days before graduation, Violet and Finch find themselves at the top of the school bell tower, both with their eyes trained on the ground. It sparks an unlikely friendship that is the buoy to them both, each keeping the other afloat. Violet starts to live again, to drive and write and find herself. Finch feels more than happy, and so, so, awake. But it can only last for so long. As Violet’s life expands, Finch’s begins to deflate.
Jennifer Niven weaves a heart-wrenchingly beautiful story that captures life lived and loved, while perfectly entangling the emotions of two teens standing on the edge.
