“I’ll Give You the Sun” is a fascinating young adult coming-of-age novel by Jandy Nelson, which follows the lives of non-identical twins Noah and Jude, at the ages of 13, 14, and 16. Noah and Jude live on the California coast in the town of Lost Cove with their parents, Benjamin, a conservative science professor, and Dianna, a liberal art professor. The twins grow up in a stable home environment. Both Noah and Jude are intelligent, and well-adept in art. Noah and Jude get along very well together, and do everything together, until they are 13.
When they turn 13, Noah positions himself as the better artist of the siblings, and is secretly gay. To prepare for acceptance into CSA, Noah spends his summer sketching nudes through the school’s windows, where he meets an English model named Oscar. Jude, herself far more emotional and feeling, falls in with a popular crowd of girls who are more interested in makeup and skimpy clothing than anything else. Will these twins find a way to go back to the good old days?
1 reply on “I’ll Give You The Sun”
This book sounds complex and thoughtful. It reminds me of Jake and Lily by Jerry Spinelli, also about twins who grow apart as they get older. I wonder if you tell us too much of the story- leave some secrets to be revealed by the author!