I'm going to stop you now with a spoiler alert!
If you read any further you will find out what happens in this aaaah-mazing book and while I want you to continue reading this blog, go read the book first. Trust me.
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| "People rarely bring flowers to a suicide." |
There isn't a better day to share my love for this book than World Suicide Prevention Day (that's today, September 10th).
I don't know any statistics about suicide and I'm not going to make any up to make it sound horrific because it's already pretty clear that it is a terrible thing. It breaks my heart to know that some people feel that the only way for them to escape their hardships is with death. Why have we let things get this far?
"The problem with people is they forget that most of the time it's the small things that count."
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven is by far the best book I have read in a really long time. So good, in fact, that I read it in one day. I haven't done that since the last Harry Potter book.
As you can probably imagine by now, this book is largely about suicide and the stigmas surrounding grief and mental disorders.
It's the story of Finch and Violet, two high school seniors in Indiana (shoutout to the Midwest!). They meet at the top of their school's bell tower and their lives are never the same again. Their lives become permanently entwined and they change each other, at least a little bit. Finch helps Violet become a bit of who she was before and a bit of a new, better Violet too. Violet gives Finch something to live for, if only for a little while.
At the end, I knew what was going to happen. I think I knew the ending the entire time I was reading, but it's one of those things that I refused to believe. Even chapters after I wasn't sure it was real. Even as all of the tears fell (honestly all of them, have approx 12 tissue boxes ready).
It's a story of growing up, love, adventure, trust, loss, and heartbreak.
It is a rollercoaster of emotions.
"The future is uncertain, but that can be a good thing."
It's okay to feel sad and terrible and hopeless, but you aren't alone.
If you're in the United States the suicide hotline number is 1(800)273-8255.
If you need help or you know someone who needs help, please speak up.
& Jennifer Niven, thank you for this masterpiece.
- Jess
"Let me ask you something. Do you think there's such a thing as a perfect day?"
All quotes from All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
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