Please note that before you read this review that I am reviewing this publication for Penguin. I received an advanced readers copy of this title in exchange for an honest review. In no way is my opinion influenced by the fact that I received this free of charge. Now on with the review!
Author: Jennifer Niven
Publisher: Penguin
Format: ARC
Publication Date: October 6th 2016
Pages: 388
Source: Review Copy from Publisher
Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed 'America's Fattest Teen'. But no one's taken the time to look past her weight to get to see who she really is. Since her mum's death, she's been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby's ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for EVERY POSSIBILITY LIFE HAS TO OFFER. I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything.In 2015, Jennifer Niven shocked the YA community with her deliverance of All The Bright Places, a novel I described upon review as compelling, compassionate and yet totally soul destroying. It was a novel that left an impact on me as a reader, so when I realised the announcement of a second novel entitled Holding Up The Universe, I was intrigued. Tackling such prominent and modern struggles such as weight, Niven delivers once again with Holding Up The Universe. It of course was of no surprise when I realised that Niven explores the complexity of human emotion and even branches out to exploring a condition that I hadn't even heard of. Prosopagnosia (or face-blindness) is the inability to recognise the faces of others, no matter how many times you see them. This outlook on life was a really interesting and inspiring way of looking at the world and understand the difficulties that came with living with the condition.
Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin too. Yes, he's got swagger, but he's also mastered the art of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a secret: he can't recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He's the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything, but he can't understand what's going on with the inner workings of his own brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Don't get too close to anyone.
Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game which lands them in group counseling, Libby and Jack are both angry, and then surprised. Because the more time they spend together, the less alone they feel. Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world - theirs and yours.
As expected from a Niven novel, our two characters originate from two very different backgrounds and meet through consequence or as some may call it, 'fate.' From then on, we watch as spectators as their journeys develop and intertwine in with one another and a relationship begins to brew. Thankfully, unlike the horrors Niven expressed to us at the end of All The Bright Places, Holding Up The Universe ends in a much happier and more joyful manner. If you've read stereotypical romance novels before then I don't need to express to you the ending as you can most likely guess. However, like other romances, Jack and Libby go through their various trials during their relationship. But this book is a lot more than just romance. It explores the notion of coming to terms with who you are and not allowing others to define that. It also indicates the most important message is to understand that you are wanted, no matter what other say, because if you want yourself then that shatters any negativity coming at your from elsewhere.
With these characters comes two very distinctive voices, and both Libby and Jack were very resonant with their character traits. Libby's voice was confident, positive and at times had a fragility edge to it, whilst Jack's was often quite the opposite. Often hiding behind his asshole demeanour, Jack is simply trying to fit in and achieve normality in such a deranged world. At times I did feel a lot for Jack, and whilst I did feel for Libby the majority of the book, my heart did go out more strongly for Jack. With his condition; not being able to recognise the people you love, it's heartbreaking, and trying to overcome this idea of fitting in - well that's something that I believe most people can relate to at some point in their lives. We've all done it, haven't we? However, whilst this novel was adorable and very powerful for many reasons, I did have frustrations at times with some of the predictability, it was an enjoyable contemporary novel that shared a lot of powerful messages. Would I read it again? Certainly. I award 4 out of 5 stars to Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven. It resonates strongly as a YA contemporary novel and I would strongly urge others to read it.
No comments:
Post a Comment