All the Bright Places Author: Jennifer Niven Natalia (12) / 4.5/5
All the Bright Places is a romantic teen novel written by Jennifer Niven. Jennifer Niven is an international and New York Times best selling author who is known for her other novels akin to All the Bright Places. The story is about two teenagers, Theodore Finch and Violet Markey who are brought together by kismet. Violet, a popular girl, has trouble coping with the passing of her older sister who died in a car accident. Because Violet survived the car crash and her sister didn’t, she is riddled with survivor's guilt. This causes her to feel lost, isolated and unlike herself before the tragic event. Theodore Finch, Violet’s antipole, is fascinated with death and often thinks about suicide. Despite Finch’s outgoing demeanor and carefree zest for life he suffers from depression and bi-polar disorder. The two teenagers first meet when they both decide to climb their school’s bell tower, intending to jump off. After they talked each other down from the ledge the beginning of a new friendship blossomed. It really began after they were paired for a school project which took them all around their hometown of Indiana. As the pair grow closer Violet's initial
zest for life returns while Finch’s mental state worsens. As the novel progresses the two teenagers fall in love and despite Violet’s best efforts to help him, Theodore continues to spiral and eventually succumbs to his mental illnesses, taking his own life.
This novel was nothing short of amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The author managed to shed light on mental illnesses and the importance of being kind and compassionate, because we don’t know what darkness others are struggling with.