Theodore Finch first meets Violet Markey on the ledge of the school bell tower. Violet is up there grieving for her sister, who was killed in a car accident. Theodore has gone up to see what the tower would be like to jump from. He discovers that it scares him. Neither is sure they want to keep living. Theodore believes he is ‘broken’ and ‘can’t be fixed,’ while Violet doesn’t know how to act now that she is a ‘survivor’. However, together they make a team, creating memories and ‘perfect days’ that they hope can last forever. But Theodore still has black moments that he can’t escape and Violet doesn’t know what to do to help him.

All the Bright Places is about suicide and mental illness and for this reason should not be overlooked by parents. The writing is magnificent. The book is funny, sad, inspiring and devastating – I could go on. I feel this is a really important book for young adults because mental illness is still too hidden in our society. Parents, read this and then talk with your teens about it, and young adults, read this, it’s brilliant.

For ages 14 and up.

Katherine Dretzke