I will very quickly start this by saying that there will be spoilers throughout this post. So if you haven't read this book and you want to then please please don't read this! The spoilers don't start until about half way into the post and I will be giving warning, so feel free to read up until that point!
Now that is cleared up I can start...
I study English Literature as an A-level and am planning to study it along side creative writing at university this coming year. This quite literally means I have no option but to enjoy reading, so it's lucky that it's something I adore and have adored since I was a child. I have lists, that are pages and pages long, of different books that I can't wait to read and I'm slowly making my way through it.
One book that was at the very top of my list was All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven, I didn't really know much about the book prior to reading it, however, I always recognised the cover around the pool on holiday and it was people my own age reading it so I assumed it would be good.
This turned out to be one of the best books I have ever read. No, THE best book I have ever read. Jennifer Niven is such a fantastic writer, her ability to bring the characters to life was astonishing. It was quite literally as if I was standing on the bell tower with Finch and Violet and watching everything happen. Niven manages to tap into emotions like no other author I have ever read before. I felt as the book developed the bond I formed with Finch and Violet was almost human. I did not want to finish this book, EVER!
For those of you who don't know the book this is a summary in a sentence:
"An exhilarating and heart-wrenching love story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die."
As dramatic as that stand alone sentence sounds, it is correct, this is a heart-wrenching, exhilarating and unflinching story. It was one that I knew was going to break my heart from the outset.
<<<<SPOILERS START HERE>>>>
I think part of the reason I liked Finch so much is because I have a friend who is exactly like him. When I completed the book, I forced all of my friends to read the it. Not only did they fall in love with it like I did, they all agreed that Finch reminded us of one of our friends! Finch is chillingly like my friend, just minus the bipolar disorder. This also added to why Finch's fate was so shocking to me, the realisation that could be someone I know and love.
I loved this book because of how brutally honest it is, Niven talks sincerely about mental health and doesn’t try to sugar-coat or avoid the issues like many authors would try to.
The story ultimately ends with Finch committing suicide, I think it is important to note that Finch did not want to die, throughout the book we see him battling with his bipolar disorder and trying to overcome it. When I initially read the novel I was really angry. I thought it was selfish and unfair of Finch to leave Violet like he did, after all the work he put in to help her, he just left. I believed everything he had done to help her had been a waste; if she was just going to lose another person she loved.
Looking back at that response, I feel so disappointed in myself. I’ve realised that’s not the point of the book, the point is raising awareness, not whether I agree with Finch’s choice or not. Finch is scared of a lot of things, one of those things being treatment, he knows that mental illness is a label that is attached and will see you throughout your entire life. The book is about Niven raising awareness about mental health, in a time where it is so rife, among not only people Finch's age, but everyone. It took me time to realise that my initial response was selfish, it is responses like my own which is why mental health is such a taboo subject.
Niven writes about suicide, bereavement and mental health exceptionally well. This is because she is talking about first-hand experience. Sadly, three people she has known and loved have committed suicide, she even describes herself as a "survivor after suicide". Niven wrote All the Bright Places to show people who are suffering, that they are not alone, it’s not their fault and that help is out there. I personally think that Niven's ability to write so well about this subject, despite the fact that it would have been exceptionally hard for her, is something that I highly commend. It makes Niven even more of an influential writer in my eyes.
In 2017, there was a 15% increase in teenagers having suicidal thoughts.
Every 40 seconds someone in the world commits suicide.
That is a heartbreaking statistic. It would mean that while you have read this post, roughly 6 people have committed suicide all over the world. This is an astonishing fact that should really make us take a moment to think how this can be avoided.
There is such a taboo around negative mental health but perhaps if we worked together to break this taboo we could have saved the 6 people who have died since this post started.
Lastly, as Niven wrote herself:
"If you think something is wrong, speak up.
You are not alone.
It is not your fault.
Help is out there."
Gem xoxo
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