A Text That Changed My Life- Media Diary: Week 4

A Text That Changed My Life: All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

“The thing I realise is, that it's not what you take, it's what you leave.” 

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven is a young adult novel that was published in 2015. This powerful novel has changed my views on many different topics of life and given me a new perspective on how I view writing. 

Firstly, before I read this book I was unaware of the extent words on a page could move me. After finishing this book, in one sitting, I was left feeling numb and empty from the raw truth outlined not just in the plot but most importantly the characters. The book revolves around two teenagers Violet and Finch who come from very different social circles in school, after Violets sister dies in a car accident she is led up to the top of the bell tower with the thought of jumping. Coincidentally, Finch is a troubled kid who spends most of his time fighting to stay 'awake' and thinking about death. They are unsure who saved who from jumping off of the bell tower but a connection is formed between them that cannot be broken. 

Before reading this book, I was always aware of mental illnesses and depression but this novel truly opened my eyes to the extent it can control a person and the amount of pain and confusion it can cause not just the person with the illness but also the family and friends surrounding this person. By reading from two people who suffers from the perils of mental illness, it truly made me extremely emotional and sympathetic of people who suffer from problems such as bipolar and depression. As this is a Young Adult novel, I did not expect for the author to delve so deep into these issues, but she wrote everything with full truth with no covering up which was extremely refreshing. Another message I took away from the novel is how uneducated the masses are on subjects regarding mental illness. In many instances during the novel people behave as though if an illness cannot be seen, it carries less weight which is completely untrue. Reading this book made me really asses my responses to discussion about these sorts of topics. 

Personally, I have never truly experienced mental illness' like depression but I believe someone who has an illness or has someone close to them suffering, could possibly find the book quite difficult to read. Due to the truth outlined in the pages and the other issues, such as suicide and parental abuse, that are explored throughout, it could be difficult for some to consume as these topics are very sensitive and upsetting even for an outsider with no personal experience.

As an avid book reader, especially of YA, this book really established a standard of story telling and beautiful writing that is really aspirational. Jennifer Niven is able to combine an extremely compelling plot with unique characters and enjoyable dialogue and a truly strong message that will move readers to tears, to create an amazing novel that I find myself thinking about on a daily basis.