Jennifer Niven, an experienced adult author, enters new territory with this touching, tender book for the YA market. Theodore and Violet are made for each other -- in so many ways. They are both "broken" and yet, in their darkest moments, they find solace and laughs, joy and healing when they come together. For a book that begins with a possible suicide, I found it to be very life-affirming (and tremendously well-written) until the end. It's not that the end is bad -- it's not. It simply goes where I was really, really, really, hoping it would not go. The author had "A Point" to make, and she made it -- without being heavy-handed and moralistic. She simply let the tale go where it kind of had to. Which, unfortunately, I hated. I didn't cry as much as get angry. Why couldn't Ms. Niven provide an "out"? Jacqueline Woodson, when hounded about the end of "If You Come Softly" stated that she wrote 12 endings for the book, but only one rang true. And so it was, I suspect, with this book. Told in alternating point-of-view chapters, it is easy to connect with characters who feel very real (and, if you read the afterward, based on real people kinda sorta). Taking them in a "happy shining" direction may satisfy my girly wishes, but would likely have undercut the power of the story, particularly for one character, who comes to a level of peace and understanding that the author may never have found in her own experience. For fans of novels like "13 Reasons Why" there is some closure, but not a lot, as situations like this are far more complex than we can imagine. Don't avoid it because of the end, however. This is a page-turning novel that will suck you in and it is totally worth it. So worth it, that a movie based on the novel is in production now. As always, read it before you see it.
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