This book is beautiful; I mean tear-inducing and artistically beautiful. It tells the story of two twins, Noah and Jude, both of whom are narrators (Jude in the present day as a 16-year-old and Noah, two years ago, at the age of 14), and their experiences of love, loss and ambition.
The book's beauty was not only due to the role played by art in the book, but also due to the way Nelson manages to include you, the reader, in the story. I know English teachers will talk to us a lot about "empathizing with the character", but here, I genuinely felt it to the extent that I cried at the end of the novel simply because I wanted the characters to be happy.
The sibling relationship is captured perfectly and I love that a brother-sister friendship is at the heart of the book. Nelson has captured the way they hate each other and each others' actions, but would protect each other no matter what. The best part is that Jude and Noah do things they really regret, but forgive each other for them. I love this part of their characters, just as much as I loved how their mistakes and actions are understandable - we have all done, and hugely regretted, similar things as them, due to pettiness, jealousy and frustration. The book sends a message to us young adult readers about the huge importance of forgiveness, because in forgiving one another, the twins' lives are both relieved of guilt.
Romance was done well! Finally, we have a YA novel that doesn't focus its entire plot on unrelatable, far-fetched ideals of romance. Jude, who narrates the novel as a 16-year-old, is not obsessed with boys, which I love. It steers away from the idea of teenage girls fixated on falling in love and finding a partner. Instead, she tries to avoid it, and when she does find someone, she is cautious and continually asks herself whether she actually likes him. This is partially because of an event from a previous point in her life (which is tackled extremely well) but I won't go into detail, you'll have to read it to find out.
Another amazing thing was that the homosexual relationship in the novel was portrayed to be pretty much exactly the same as the heterosexual one. The character falls in love the same way you would expect him to if he were straight. This is important, because homophobia must be fought by making people realize that falling in love is the same experience whether it's with a boy, girl or someone who is non-binary.
If you have siblings, I would expect, like me, you will see yourself in this book, for example in downfalls in family relationships and the consequences of holding grudges or acting out in jealousy or spite. That's what makes it so emotionally moving.
I'll Give You the Sun is a beautiful book brimming with art, familial love, betrayal and forgiveness. Read it.
• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop.
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