All the bright places book description
All the bright places by Jennifer
Niven addresses the issue of mental health, bullying, broken family and
ignorance. It is the story of a girl who learned to live from a boy who wanted
to die. It is the story of Violet Markey and Theodore Finch.
TW: If you are someone who has
feelings of sadness, depression or suicidal thoughts or if you are someone who
recently came out of that phase, sorry but this book isn't for you.
All the bright places by Jennifer Niven
All the bright places summary
Violet is stuck in the trauma of
losing her elder sister to a car accident where she feels responsible for that.
She might seem like a normal happy-go-lucky girl but inside she is fighting to
be normal. On days when she starts behaving like a normal teenager, there is
this feeling of guilt and regret that sabotages her mind. She feels that she
doesn't deserve to enjoy her life while her sister is dead. Somewhere deep
within her mind, she believes herself responsible for the accident and death of
her sister. She thinks that if she hadn't asked her to take that route on the
night back from the party, her sister would be alive today.
On the other hand, Theodore Finch
is the kind of guy who doesn't fit into the norms of society and has his
delinquent ways. That delinquent nature is sometimes expressed in the way that
he dresses in red from head to toe, sometimes he starts wearing a cape as if
preparing for a show or something, so he keeps on doing weird stuff that
doesn't fit into the 'normal' set by people and society. And that's when people
started calling him "Theodore Freak" and no one wants to be friends
with him or socialize with him because of his different ways and thinking. Except
for his two friends Charlie and Brenda. Imagine being called stuff like that?
How can someone go through such stuff but Finch doesn't give up and he
continues going to that same school and tries to pursue his degree so he can graduate
somehow.
All the bright places book review
One day Violet goes to the bell
tower of her school so she could have some time alone and read her favorite
book but once up there, she gets overwhelmed by an urge to stand on the edge of
the tower. And that's what she does. While her standing there, she didn't have
any idea that someone else also came up there. Meanwhile Violet stands on one
side of the bell tower, on the other side is Theodore Finch. When Finch sees
Violet for the first time standing there, he was unable to focus on one
particular thing, his eyes started drifting from her strange haircut to her
oversized glasses to her trembling hands and legs. That is when Finch notices
fear in her composure and reaches forward to help Violet land safely in the
inner space. But all of this scenario was witnessed by the whole school and
they start thinking that Violet saved Finch. However, the real story was known
to only two of them. And that's when their story starts.
The story that starts with Finch
saving Violet's life and her giving a beautiful smile to him, will take you to
the actual story of Violet and Finch’s life together. Where they start working
on a project and this project becomes the most beautiful event and a memory
afterwards for their whole life.
All the bright places will give
you a glimpse of the highest point in Indiana to the biggest paintball in the
world through the wandering and discoveries of Violet and Finch. When they fall
in love, it is all the bright places they can see everywhere and want to see
more of. But do you think that being in love would be enough for Finch to not
think about dying when all everyone in the school did is bully him, when his
dad used to hate him and when he was trying hard not to give up.
I think the suicide perspective
in the book overshadows the story a bit, but since Jennifer Niven has tried to
address the issues of mental health. And how every individual reacts differently
so it also makes sense too.
Have you read this book or
thinking to give it a read?