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.
This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Gayle Forman, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven.
Theodore Finch has been asleep for six weeks. No dreaming. No anything. Back at school he finds himself on the ledge of the school's bell tower. Finch thinks about jumping, ending his life and how it should be done. Until he see's Violet Markey standing on the edge. Finch saves Violet knowing that she really does want to live but doesn't know how, and now all Violet has to do is save Finch.
A US Geography project brings them together once more, a project to wander across Indiana. But Violet hasn't been in a car since the night that she was in the car crash that killed her sister. Finch has an exuberant personality and is determined to get Violet over her fears.
'The problem with people is that forget that most of the time it's the small things that count. Everyone's so busy waiting in the Waiting Place. If we stopped to remember that there's such a thing as a Puina Tower and a view like this, we'd all be happier.'- Theodore Finch
Finch has different personalities/ looks throughout All The Bright Places we see 80's Finch, Badass Finch and All American Finch. From early on we can see that Finch has mental health problems with the way he acts and thinks but at the same time is incredibly smart. Violet isn't over her sister's death, has stopped writing, running her and her sisters website and is just existing.
As Finch and Violet start to wander throughout Indiana they start becoming friends and understanding each other. We learn about their bright places, things that make them happy whether they are places, words or book quotes when they are together or chatting on facebook.
While the story is written in dual POV's it is really Finch's story. While Violet starts getting better and starts living instead of existing, Finch struggles to overcome everything that he is facing. The characters are so deeply constructed that you cannot help but love and feel some sort of connection to them. The secondary characters are also brilliantly written and are real high school students and not the stereotypical ones.
Overall I loved All The Bright Places and how Niven has managed to create a book which deals with mental illness in a way which shows how it affects everyone around them and that it does happen to people. Her writing is done beautifully with how she has managed to create the world and characters that draw you in, make you feel and think about the issues. Overall All The Bright Places is a brilliant contemporary YA and I look forward to more YA novels from Niven.
Thankyou very much to Penguin Teen Australia for this ARC and the bright places inside my copy!
Rating: 5/5
Keely xx
