The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson




Where do I even begin in my response to this novel?! It was one of those books that I could not put down, wanting to make discoveries along with the characters and then sad when it has ended.

To me, this is a novel about coming to terms with our grief. Grief that consumes us. Overpowers us. Makes us forget who we are. Leads us to who we can be. I recently also read John Green's novel LOOKING FOR ALASKA and I have made a connection between these two novels. The characters, both Lennie and Alaska, are fearful of the loss of the memories.

When one dies, we begin to loose our sense of that person. It becomes harder to remember their mannerisms, their scent, their voice. And in that loss, we dread loosing them in our memories. For, without them here on earth, our memories are all we have.

For those of us who have lost someone we loved... this novel reminds us that even in the midst of our loss - we can be whole. We can transcend the pain and live with passion. We can become who were are meant to be and still remain loyal to the memory of the one we loved.

In memory to my father who passed away on May 6, 1982 (when I was 12), my grandmother who passed away in June 1979 (when I was 9) and my mother who passed away in April 2007 (when I was 38)... your memories are with me, your love sustains me...



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