All The Bright Places

Author: Jennifer Niven

Rating: 5/5

Year Published: 2015

Synopsis (From Goodreads): “Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.”

The first time I read All The Bright Places was when it first came out in 2015 and I absolutely loved it. I think that was because I had never read anything quite like it before. This was the first YA book that I had encountered that openly discussed mental health and loss. It didn’t hide any of the ugliness or pain related to mental illnesses or grief.

I am not usually the person who cries over books, or movies but this book made me cry, and when I become that emotionally involved in a book I must say that it is good and well written. A book has never made me feel that strong emotions ever before and I doubt that it will happen again.

I quickly became intrigued in the storyline, and started rooting for both Violet and Finch from the first page, and even after I finished the book they’ve stayed with me. I believe that I liked the main characters because I could relate to them both. The character’s are very realistic, and I’m not just talking about Finch and Violet, but about Violet’s mom, dad and sister Eleanor, and also about Finch’s family, his sisters, and mother and father, and about Amanda and so on.

Niven skillfully manages to tell other character’s stories, and using them to contribute to the main storyline without losing focus or making it seem irrelevant or boring. Every character comes to life, because the reader gets to know about their struggles, what they like to do and who they really are. It also fascinates me how you can clearly see how the characters develop, grow and change as the story prolongs, which I think is one of the most important and difficult things to successfully do. I would say that the author also represents mental illnesses and grief accurately and in a way that makes you feel like you’re not alone in your struggles (even if you aren’t suffering from bipolar disorder).

However, a lot of people that I have spoken too say that the book glorifies mental illnesses, but I want to argue against, and say that it doesn’t because when Finch commits suicide Niven doesn’t hide anything. Instead she describes the scene, she shows just how nasty, and hurtful and terrible it is by describing Finch’s bloated and blue body and so on. Another example is how Finch’s dad acts, when being distant and abusive, by slamming Finch into the wall, which I would say doesn’t at all glorify mental illnesses in anyway.

The novel takes place in a small town in Indiana, and explores themes such as mental health, loss, but also the struggle of growing up and coming of age. It was written from both Violet’s and Finch’s perspective in a first person point of view. This also contributed to me liking the book as I prefer a first person point of view. It was good that both Violet and Finch told the story as this gave the reader an understand of how both characters felt and thought, and therefore left out any uncertainties.

The only negative thing that I can say about this book is that it ended too fast. It was raw just like abuse, mental illnesses and loss are, but it was also honest, and just groundbreaking, with a beautiful language. A book that I will always carry with me in my heart and that I will never forget.