All the Bright Places

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven, published earlier this year (2015, for those of you who may be lost) is a realistic fiction, young adult novel. The story begins as told by Theodore Finch, who is standing at the top of the school's bell tower, debating jumping off a little, but mostly just feeling the rush of the idea of jumping off. Theodore has decided that the end of his life will be his own choice, meaning he is choosing to some day end his own life, but jumping off the bell tower isn't how he wants to go, he's deciding when Violet Markey appears up there with him. Violet, whose sister died the previous year in a car wreck that they were both in, is depressed and is actually planning to jump off the building until she gets to edge and panics, which is when Theodore talks Violet down and ultimately saves her life.Violet is more popular at school than Theodore, who is a bit of an outcast and is generally considered a "freak" and a bit crazy. Theodore convinces the rest of the school that Violet was actually up there to save his life, so Violet's reputation will not be tarnished. From there the story is told in a back and forth style by both Theodore and Violet. Theodore develops a crush on Violet from that day on, and when there is an opportunity to get to know her better in their Geography class, Theodore takes it (without Violet's consent), and they begin exploring different landmarks in their state, and eventually they start to fall for each other. Theodore forces Violet to live her life (not stay forever in mourning of her sister) and teaches her that it's okay to move on from her grief and be happy.

There are the common controversial makings of a good realistic fiction Young Adult novel in that the two main characters have sex, and both characters exhibit signs of depression at different points in the novel. However, Violet's depression is purely situational; she's grieving for her sister. Theodore on the other hand is most likely bipolar; he has extreme highs and terrible lows, and (SPOILER ALERT), the book ends with him going missing for a month, and Violet finding Theodore has killed himself .  Theodore had spent the last month leaving notes for Violet to help finish their project and presumably to say goodbye, which does in many ways help to give her some closure.

While this book was engaging and easy to read, I did have many problems with this book that had nothing to do with its controversial aspects. My biggest problem with this book was how Theodore coerces Violet to do the school project with him. He proclaims her as his project partner without asking her first in front of their classroom, and when after class they discuss her being his project online, he forces her to work with him by threatening that if she doesn't talk to him, he'll talk to her about it in class over the entire classroom, which would humiliate her (because this also would include discussing her almost suicide attempt most likely). Theodore's manipulation is all in the pursuit of "saving" Violet, which the fact that Violet is continually in need of being saved is questionable. On one hand, she did almost try to kill herself, and instilling the idea that one should take interest in their peers who might be troubled isn't a bad idea. On the other hand, there is the problem in the continual retelling of stories wherein men are saving women from all their "feelings" and "whims." Women being cast as damsels in distress over and over again, especially in this retelling where Violet's will has already been subverted, is a problematic trope, especially for books that are aimed overwhelmingly at young girls. Stories that convey that it is okay for young men to push girls outside their comfort zones and paint that as romantic are tiptoeing a fine line; what is and isn't okay to do to another person without her permission? When is it okay to go ahead with an idea, even if the other person is saying no?
Of course the book moves past this, and eventually Violet gets painted as an actual round character with a personality, interests, and a story line of her own, but it was slow moving to get there and see her as more than just a (slightly unwilling) love interest for Theodore. Positives in this book, in my opinion, include a positive portrayal of sex and losing ones virginity. Both characters care about each other, it is consensual, and nothing bad comes from it (unwanted pregnancy or STDs), which is a good thing in Young Adult literature in my opinion. Teenagers are overwhelmingly shamed for having sexual urges and relationships. This is probably a controversial opinion, but the only thing that could make this portrayal better is if a mention of protection.
The best thing about this book is its way of discussing suicide post-act. Having lost my best friend in high school to suicide when I was just 17, Violet's reaction to Theodore's suicide is spot on. She is sad and grieving while also angry at Theodore for giving up and angry at herself for not doing more or taking notice sooner. All of these emotions were emotions that I believe "survivors of suicide" can relate to and recognize in themselves. Though most "survivors" don't get the same sort of closure in forms of things left behind at landmarks or notes, seeing someone else deal with a similar loss could be a very good thing for young adults going through a similar experience (as long as they are old enough and emotionally intelligent enough to understand that they were still loved and thought of by that friend/loved one that they lost, even if they didn't leave them notes or anything behind for a form of closure). Following is a book trailer.