I’ll Give you the Sun

 This book captivates you right from the beginning, starting off the perspective of one twin, Noah. Nelson then leads on to the future, from a second perspective, the other twin Jude. A combination from both points of view reveals an infinite number of emotions to the reader, making you feel connected and a part of this piece of literature. The author’s portrayal of Jude and Noah helps convey the number of themes in “I’ll Give You the Sun,” which includes the important topics of family, identity, and grief. Jandy Nelson reveals the themes and her purpose of “I’ll Give You the Sun” by the organization of the story, the style, and emotions of the story, and by making the characters appeal and relate to her audience.

Jandy Nelson, the author of “I’ll Give You the Sun,” was born in New York in 1965. As a child, her family was very superstitious, allowing her sense of writing to be very open and “free verse,” as one might say. She now resides in San Francisco, California, where she gathered inspiration for the mythical and dramatic setting of “I’ll Give You the Sun,” Lost Cove. Throughout the years, Nelson has had many educational experiences, receiving a Bachelors's in comparative literature and two Master in poetry and writing for children and young adults. Her master's in poetry has opened up and influenced her emotional and voice-driven style of writing. Some significant life experiences that the author has encountered has been when she had first

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been inspired with the idea to write novels, when an executive editor named Jill Santopolo advocated her with the idea of writing a verse novel after she had heard Nelson reading her poetry. One other major event Nelson underwent was a sculpting class. This class inspired her with one of the themes for the piece of work, which is breaking free to find your identity. One other friend she never forgets to mention for her uprise is author Deb Wiles, her former mentor. As Nelson was beginning her journey of changing her works from poetry to novels, Wiles always told her to never give up and that she would be able to achieve her goals.

For some background information about “I’ll Give You the Sun,” two fraternal twins named Jude and Noah undergo the tragedy of losing their mother due to a car accident. The siblings both blame themselves for what happened, and this causes their relationship with each other and become strained and unknown. Jude turns to art to try to cope with her issues, while Noah starts to become reckless. After a number of events, including Noah almost falling off a cliff, the twins realized all the secrets that had been hidden under the blankets between each other. Noah and Jude finally reconnect, and both of them finally realize their identities in the world after so much tension that had been keeping them away from breaking free.

In “I’ll Give You the Sun,” the structure of the book is in two different points of view, set in both the past and present. The two perspectives come from the two important figures in the book, Jude and Noah. Since the book is set in two sets of time, the audience is able to easily compare and contrast the events and the personalities of all the different characters in the story. Even though it might be confusing at first, the way the story is organized allows readers to be able to visualize the journey the characters experience throughout significant time periods in their lives. As the book is capable of being able to focus on one time period at a time and able to be

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interpreted easily, the readers are able to realize that the themes of love, family, and identity are being developed throughout the second perspective, whereas in the first part, the downfall of the family is being introduced. The shift from downfalls to improvements in the two parts of the piece of literature allows the reader to be able to detect the themes and purpose in a clear and straightforward way, by comparing and contrasting.

“I’ll Give You the Sun” is a book that is filled to the brim with passionate feelings and emotions. Nelson’s style involves lots of compassion, intricacy, and sometimes can even be contradictory. The author finds ways to be able to reveal emotions of love, heartbreak, grief, and hate at the same time, between the different types of situations the characters seem to face. Nelson then reveals how the lives of all the characters are intertwined, and these connections between each other allow the important figures to reconcile with each other and present the story’s main message. Vivid language also brings this story to life; the readers are able to capture the ups and downs of the book and interpret inside their own minds. Because of the author uses this type of language, she reveals the purpose of the book, which is trying to entertain us with all the different emotions teens face in their everyday lives, and how we ultimately love each other, no matter what.

Since the two main characters of I’ll Give You the Sun is teenagers, it automatically brings the attention of an audience of young adults. Jude and Noah are two very emotional people who suffer from trauma, betrayal, and anxiety. Even though some adults believe teenagers dramatize their feelings throughout that specific time period, everyone has their own emotions, good or bad. With the characters riding up and down in an almost never ending emotional rollercoaster, it allows the readers to relate to the characters and almost see themselves

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in their positions. Even if they haven’t suffered through so much as the twins do in the book, the audience can still find some sort of connection between them, which clarifies the themes and purpose of the book. Everyone has gone through secrets, mourning, and grief at one point in their lives, and they are able to fight through it and resolve their problems. This relatable journey through reality is just like “I’ll Give You the Sun,” which shows you just how much the author wanted this book to be so impactful and approachable to everyone, not just Jude and Noah.

In conclusion, the themes and purposes of “I’ll Give You the Sun” are just entertaining us with feelings of love and grief. The audience is captivated with trying to understand the journey of what some teenagers have to go through. This book teaches the readers the meaning of true family and that there can be some rough patches in the road. However, we can always get stitched back up and become whole again through hope. Through the organization, style, and the relatable aspect of this story, the power of perseverance and hanging on to that love for family shines through, ultimately making this book a must read for its theme of how strong love really can be and how it can pick up the downfalls someone can experience.

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