Parents aren’t supposed to choose favorites. However, Noah is clearly a Momma’s boy while Jude is a Daddy’s girl. Noah is an extremely talented artist while Jude tries desperately to draw like her brother, though comes up short. Instead, Jude sculpts women in the sand and lets the ocean wash them away. She wants to be able to draw well like her brother so her mother will be pleased with her. Although he never succeeds, Noah tries to be the manly son his Dad wants him to be. Even though the twins are battling each other over their parents and an art school they desperately want to attend, they have a close relationship. At a young age, they split the universe between each other and negotiated the sun, stars, and trees to obtain the objects they want. But when a terrible accident descends on this family, a rift forms between the two. Their relationship dramatically changes and Noah is no longer free spirited which Jude just wants to fix. However, it will take some time.

One neat aspect of this story is the twins’ point of views. Most of the time, Noah explains feelings and events by creating paintings and portraits in his head like, “Boy Dives into a Lake of Light”. On the other hand, Jude, constantly references to her Grandma Sweetwine’s “Bible”. This is a book of her grandmother’s superstitions which Jude abides to like the law. Some examples of her superstitions are, “If a boy gives a girl an orange, her love for him will multiply” and “Every picture taken of you reduces your spirit and shortens your life”. It’s an astonishing read because everything they think is easy to visualize.

The absolute best aspect of this book are the intriguing metaphors. My favorite is, “Mom has a massive sunflower for a soul so big there’s hardly any room in her for organs.”  Also, it is easy to tell that a lot of time and effort was put into the unique outlook of this book. How does someone come up with, “Hot guys should be forced to wear footie pajamas?” I’m not the only one who finds this book amazing and fun to read. The Los Angeles Times described this story as “Unusually rich with both insight and breathless romance.” Also, Ransom Riggs, New York Times bestselling author of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, wrote that this book was “A wild, beautiful, and profoundly moving novel. Jandy Nelson’s writing is so electric, so alive, her pages practically glow in the dark.” In “I’ll Give You the Sun” by Jandy Nelson there was not one dull moment. It kept me on edge throughout every page and eager to finish every chapter.