Book Raves Pt. 3: The Sun is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon

This is turning into a movie soon and I can't wait~

After 'Everything, Everything' and realising that Nicola Yoon created another story that I would no doubt love, I decided that I had to get my hands on 'The Sun is Also A Star'. I was out with a friend on a certain day, shopping, catching up and admiring aesthetically pleasing stationery at TK Maxx (they had such cute notebooks!) when I remembered that Waterstones was just around the corner.

So, after admiring more stationery and waiting for my friend to complete her purchase in a manner of impatient foot tapping with my arms crossed, I whizzed past the small amount of people walking around town on a weekday and bought the book in a span of about five minutes.

(Thank you to my friend who lent me 5p for a bag. It was raining that day, so I didn't want to get the book drenched).

Just like 'Everything, Everything', 'The Sun is Also A Star' contained such a beautiful cover and a beautiful title, and similar to Yoon's first masterpiece, the story focused on an interracial relationship once again. It tugged at my heartstrings, and the fact that I knew people in happy interracial relationships made it all the more precious.

'The Sun is Also A Star' is about a Korean boy named Daniel who struggles against his parents' expectations of him, and the desire to fulfill his poet dream. He meets a girl called Natasha who becomes a victim of deportation - a girl who maintains her belief in science and shakes her head at Daniel's views on fate and the idea of 'meant to be'. Their meeting and the chain of events that lead to them falling in love all happens in the span of one day, which is accompanied by various perspectives and snippets of history from other characters.

The idea that all of the events happen in one day highlights how a day can leave a big impact, resulting in a change in our lives, or a changed outlook on life. After reading this, I will never underestimate a single day ever again.

Unlike 'Everything, Everything', this second masterpiece from Yoon emphasises the cultural differences within interracial relationships. Daniel with his Korean parents and their desire for him to become a doctor, and Natasha and her Jamaican roots.

SPOILER ALERT. There was a part in the novel where Daniel and Natasha were holding hands while onlookers stared, which accentuates the idea that it seems to be unusual for an Asian person and a black person to be a couple. However, their love for each other conquers that and I almost fell for Daniel when he said that he didn't give a damn about others.

One of the reasons why this novel resonates with me isn't just because it features an interracial relationship, but also due to the focus on other characters. Readers are, of course, first introduced to Daniel and Natasha, but then the novel introduces Irene, Charles Jae Won Bae, Minsoo, Daehyun, Samuel Kingsley, The Conductor on the train, Donald Christiansen, Hannah Winter, Jeremy Fitzgerald, The Waitress and Joe. It emphasises the idea of connections and how we can be connected to each other, even though we're merely strangers. It also underlines the idea of fate, and the idea that the little things we do could affect a person and their choices.

I almost cried towards the end of the book - at the possibility that Daniel and Natasha's love could never continue, but it made me realise that both people in love may have to leave each other even if they still love the other. And for me, that's the hardest decision any human being could ever make.

I hope those in an interracial relationship can overcome the hardships cultural differences may bring. All hope isn't lost :)

{#books #novels #rave #TheSunisAlsoAStar #NicolaYoon}