Review: Everything, Everything – Nicola Yoon

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
Published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Published: September 1st 2015
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This innovative, heartfelt debut novel tells the story of a girl who’s literally allergic to the outside world. When a new family moves in next door, she begins a complicated romance that challenges everything she’s ever known. The narrative unfolds via vignettes, diary entries, texts, charts, lists, illustrations, and more.

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

I was super excited for this debut book by Nicola Yoon. I mean first would you look at that cover??? BEAUTIFUL! And I know, it is shallow to want to read a book based on the cover, but that is honestly what pulled me in. And then I read what the book was about and I was hooked. Can’t go outside? That is a life I can’t imagine. And then I read the book. Holy awesome batman. I was blown completely away. Not just by the writing, which was perfect, but the why the story was told. It was fantastic.

Everything, Everything is about Madeline, a girl that has been stuck inside her house for over a decade thanks to a disease that leave her allergic to the world. With her mother and her nurse Carla as her only real contact Madeline is always the girl on the inside looking out. That is until new neighbors move in. Soon Madeline is finding herself obsessed with Olly, the son next door. She watches his every move and then one day he notices and the start up a friendship that is about to change Madeline’s world forever.

I was intrigued from the start by this story. The writing, the plot, the pacing, everything just worked and it worked really really well. I loved how the story unfolded through a variety of different styles. From pictures to emails to text messages to dialog. It all worked and made the story even more beautiful than it was. Honestly I was so wrapped up in all of that I didn’t see something coming that I normally would have which made the book even better for me.

This is a tough on because the book is mostly in one single house. Actually in the long run that worked really well because much like Madeline it was easy to feel trapped in a place and not have the ability to see something else, to have a new setting, a new background. Seeing how Madeline had to watch Olly from her window or computer screen and not be a part of his life just added to the story.

Hands down, Madeline and Olly are what made Everything, Everything well…everything. There was such an ease to the two of them. Like they just fit and they never really even questioned why this was. They belonged in each other’s lives and it was as simple as that. They were also both going through things, hard things, and it was nice that they had each other to lean on. I also really loved Carla the nurse. She was a great adult figure in this book that helped keep Madeline young. And I felt really bad for Madeline’s mother. As a whole this cast of character was perfect.

In the end Everything, Everything was simply, amazingly gorgeous. It was one of those books that is pretty quiet in terms of story, but it is supposed to be. It keeps you interested with its beauty and narrative. And the characters keep making you want to know more, to be friends with these people, to find out more about them. I truthfully can’t do this book justice with my words. I’ve tried and it isn’t worth it. All I can tell you is that you need to read it. You will not be disappointed. That I can promise you.

 

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