All the Bright Places ...in all the right places

They stand on the ledge of a tower on their high school's campus, both afraid to look down.

Neither person knows the other has come for the same reason - to end their lives. When they finally notice each other, Theo immediately abandons his plans for ending his life and focuses on helping the girl that stands before him.  And so begins Jennifer Niven's All the Bright Places, a unique and captivating young adult story.

Theo and Violet find themselves connected by the event on the ledge because the rest of the high school student body has seen "The Freak" and "Miss Popularity" hanging out on the ledge together. What follows is a story of two unlikely individuals trying to help the other survive their teenage years.

While it is a boy meets girl story, it certainly is not the typical teenage romance - far from it. This story unfolds and resolves in an unexpected way. Theo works hard to show Violet that life is worth living. He pushes her and encourages her, even when she is fickle and simply "blah." Most of all, he accepts the real Violet - the Violet the no one really knows. Theo shakes up Violet's life and she is changed because of it.

Although this book is very much about Violet, it is much more Theo's story. He is eccentric and has been struggling with depression most of his life. He deals with his depression without all on his own, which explains his eccentricity. His family and friends just accept his odd behavior, while the typical students at his high school shun him because of it. Theo deals the best way he knows how, and the reader hurts for Theo. There is a lot to be frustrated about throughout the story, but one thing is for sure, we root for Theo from page one.

Niven's characterization of Theo is the real strength of the book. Theo's character is so real and well done that his journey becomes the reader's journey. We understand Theo's struggle because we walk in his shoes, and as journey with him, we learn a lot about the awful disease of depression. I think we also learn quite a bit about how to support people who battle the disease. We see how to help Theo, but we realize how tricky it is because he is so fragile.

Because Theo is so intense and complicated, because his journey is so real to the reader, this is an emotional read. However, it was probably the best book I read this year. It is a story everyone should read. So don't hang out on the ledge too long, get down, pick up the book, and enter Theo's world for a while. I promise you will be forever changed if you do.