In The Sky is Everywhere Lennie Walker is grieving over the sudden death of her sister, Bailey. One minute Bailey was with them, laughing, planning her life, and the next she was gone. With their mother having walked out on them when they were babies, Lennie turns to Bailey's boyfriend for comfort, and becomes entangled in a messy relationship between herself and Toby, and also herself and a new guy to town, Joe Fontaine. As the summer unfolds, Lennie and her family come to terms with their grief and a life without Bailey, and Lennie herself learns more about herself then she ever knew.
There are a lot of teen books about grief of lost ones, whether a sibling, a parent, a boyfriend. I had bought this one at a Audible sale a while ago and hadn't heard of the author before so I wasn't sure what to expect. What a got was a very real story about the conflicting emotions of a teen after the loss of her sister. Bailey and Lennie weren't just sisters, they were everything to each other. After their mother abandoned them they were raised by their Uncle and Grandmother. This non-traditional family unit were very close, and the loss of Bailey deeply affected them all.
In the story Lennie turns to Bailey's boyfriend, Toby, for comfort. At times I couldn't believe that she was making out with her dead sister's boyfriend, but at the same she was grieving. This part of the story made me feel like Lennie was unbelievable selfish and immature, not seeing the grief that the rest of her family were going through. However, the other characters in the story really turned it around for me. Between the colorful and bright Uncle Big, and her Grandmother's beautiful gardens, and to the every happy Joe Fontaine.
I wasn't expecting to enjoy The Sky is Everywhere as much as I did. In fact half way through I thought that Lennie's immature behaviour would make this a "Do Not Finish", but I stuck through it and ended up really enjoying the end.
It was a good story about growing up and dealing with the loss of not just your sister but your best friend.
This was my first Julia Whelan audiobook, but it won't be my last. I loved the voices she used for the grandmother and Uncle, and definitely plan to listen to more of her audios.
About this Audiobook:
Written by: Jandy Nelson
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:03-09-10
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
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