Everything, Everything

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 Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon provides a fresh take on a "coming of age" novel. We are introduced to our main character Madeline, who is a bi-racial 18-year-old who has been diagnosed with SCID. She is locked away in her white castle with air filters and white clothes to protect her from any triggers of the outside world. Madeline operates as the narrator of this story to provide direct accounts of how she is feeling. Reading each page feels as if we are reading her medical records; we are checking to see how she feels every page. When a new family moves in next door, Madeline begins to secretly message 18-year-old Olly. Olly is her prince dressed in all Black meant to introduce her to the world. After meeting him, her daily routine of isolation is completely disrupted. 

Everything, Everything feels like a perfect read for the time that we are in. How do you love someone you have never met in person? How to maintain relationships online? How do you show love when you are unable to have the physical touch? These are all questions that we are currently asking ourselves since the pandemic disrupted our realities in March. Exploring the world through Madeline's eyes makes a reader become appreciative of everything around them. 

With the use of images, tone, and suspense, readers are drawn into each page to discover how Madeline will break her situation to live a life worth living. 

Comments

  1. Candace BeebeOctober 15, 2020 at 10:39 AM

    I agree, this is the perfect book for some of the current events happening in our world today. All adolescents can relate to being separated from people that they want to be with and being afraid of the outside world making them sick. We all have to make the decision for ourselves what the difference between living and surviving is.

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  2. Olivia BennettOctober 16, 2020 at 4:10 PM

    Hey A’Keriah,
    This book really does sound like the perfect read during this time of isolation due to the pandemic. I feel like students could really relate to this novel because of how they’ve been social distancing since March. I almost wish I had my own classroom this semester just so I could teach this book. It almost seems too perfect. This totally sounds like a book I would have loved during my John Green stage in middle school and early high school. I will definitely be considering reading this novel. I would love to see how the novel answers the rhetorical questions you ask in your blogpost.

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