I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! I actually gave it 5/5 stars on GoodReads! I put off reading it for a very long time because I've never really been into contemporary works. There is only a handful of them that I have liked, but this is a very charming, short and sweet novel. I think I am absolutely going to have to read more contemporaries, and give them another shot. 'The Sun Is Also A Star' is easy to get through. I found it to be a super quick read. The chapters are short and I think that it is absolutely meant to be read quickly. The events that take place in the book happen in only one day, so reading it all in one day really contributed to the reading experience for me. It makes it all feel so rushed, which is how it feels for the characters, and the moment to moment writing is phenomenal. It legitimately feels like you are following a step behind them the entire time, going through all of this with them.
This is absolutely a perfect quarantine read, when you have nothing to do but read for six hours straight and then watch the two-ish hour movie immediately after! (I also just have to say book>movie of course, but the movie was actually really good!) It's easy to relate to.
These characters are genuine and raw, and it is just a statement of fact that you will end up attached to them. The themes are interesting. A central focus is the butterfly effect. The smallest thing can lead to a billion other things changing the course of someone's life. The 'one small act of kindness' kind of vibe is certainly looked into as well.
There is a part of this book that demands you just let the rules of reality go a bit. There are parts that are fairly unbelievable, but that is also supposed to be the essence of the story in a way. It is somewhat feel good, but at times totally heart wrenching. You will just have to read it to know what I mean.
The story follows Natasha and Daniel who both live in New York City. Natasha is a Jamaican immigrant, but New York is really the only home she knows as she has been living in America basically her entire life. However, her family is being deported tomorrow. She is trying to do everything she can to stop that from happening. Daniel is a Korean-American boy who has been trying to live up to his parents expectations his entire life. They want him to be a doctor, but he wants to be a poet... He has a college interview that day, but he isn't even sure if he wants to go to college. Natasha is very practical. She is a realist, believing in only the facts and science. Daniel is a dreamer. He believes in fate, destinies, and something divine. With Daniel on his way to his interview and Natasha on her way to save her own life, the two bump into each other, exchange stories, and the course for the rest of their day, and soon their lives, changes.
Check it out!
- C8 ;)