‘All the Bright Places’ an enjoyable read
Jennifer Niven’s “All the Bright Places” is a love story about two broken, suicidal teenagers who, in each other, find reasons to live. Theodore Finch and Violet Markey, both 12th-grade students, meet on the ledge of their school’s bell tower, where both are about to jump until they notice each other. Finch is a bipolar, death-obsessed teen looking for a reason not to die. Markey is a popular girl who lost her sister in a car accident, for which she takes blame.
Theodore helps Violet from the ledge after she panics because everyone is watching. Violet believes this is their first and last meeting. Theodore makes sure it’s not by choosing her as his partner for a geography assignment. They begin to discover Indiana and the adventure it offers. They influence each other, and Theodore ends up helping Violet by teaching her how life would have turned out if she committed suicide. On the other hand, he refuses to let Violet help him.
When visiting places around Indiana, they fall hard for each other. Violet believes she found her reason to live. Theodore is still unsure if he found his. Theodore helps Violet drive again after an accident and find her passion for writing again. After they finish the project, Violet isn’t allowed to see Theodore. Everyone, including their parents, heard about the bell tower incident because it made the school newspaper. Violet’s parents keep her away from him, but like all romances, she sees him anyway. They end up in a fight. Theo disappears and decides to continue the project without her.
I truly enjoyed this book. Not only because of the plot, but because Niven based it on personal experiences and actual people. I’m not saying all these events happened, but she knew someone who was suicidal and had problems like Theodore and Violet. I chose to read the author’s notes, unlike most, and read her story. You can tell this book was an outlet not only or her, but also her readers.
This book can be compared to Rainbow Rowell’s “Eleanor and Park,” John Green’s “The Fault in Our Stars” and other books about broken teens who find love, but I think it has its own style. If you take time to read “All the Bright Places,” I believe you will enjoy it and will be affected by it.