The Sun is Also a Star Book Review

ATTENTION: SPOILERS

Title: The Sun is Also a Star

Author: Nicola Yoon

Pages: 344

Genre: Realistic Fiction

I just finished reading the novel, The Sun is Also a Star, by Nicola Yoon. I first came across it on the summer reading list, but never got a chance to read it. My friends gave it very good reviews, so I decided to read it. At first, it was slow and didn’t grab my attention. However, I started to grow a bond with the main characters, Daniel and Natasha, and I became deeply intrigued. It was written very well, and taught so many lessons.

Summary: The novel was about two teenagers, Daniel and Natasha. Natasha was an immigrant from Jamaica, whose family moved to the US when her Dad was offered an acting job. Daniel’s parents were immigrants from Korea. So, they were already in a similar boat. Daniel bumps into Natasha while roaming the streets of New York City, and he instantly falls in love. However, Natasha doesn’t believe in love, for she is all about science, and love can’t be scientifically proven. After spending the entire day together, Natasha broke the horrible news to Daniel that she would be leaving for Jamaica that night, for her family was being deported, due to her father’s mistake. After a big fight, Daniel and Natasha ran into each other again. Natasha admitted that she fell in love with him, and they did whatever they could to try to stop Natasha’s deportation. However, luck was not on their side, because a similar story was happening to Natasha’s lawyer. After a tragic goodbye, Natasha flew off to Jamaica, leaving Daniel and the big city behind. Years later, Natasha and Daniel happened to be on the same plane, and found each other again.

Themes:

Carve your own path- Daniel’s family has pushed him his whole life to go to college at Yale and become a doctor, to make money. However, this was not the path that Daniel wanted for himself. His true passion was poetry, but he was too nervous to tell his parents that. After meeting Natasha and Lawyer Fitzgerald, he learned that it’s more important to do what makes you happy, rather than being stuck doing something that you don’t enjoy everyday for the rest of your life. So, even though his parents weren’t pleased, he turned down Yale and went into a career in literature.

You can’t predict the future- Daniel and Natasha had many ups and downs throughout the novel, and eventually learned that they couldn’t tell what would happen next. Natasha thought she would be living in America forever, but she was suddenly told she would be leaving that night. Daniel thought he would be able to spend forever with Natasha, but was suddenly told that he would never see her again. With this said, Natasha and Daniel weren’t the only characters who learned this tough lesson. Attorney Fitzgerald thought he found the one, but later fell in love with another woman working at his office.

Fate- Although Natasha refused to believe in fate and love, her story with Daniel certainly exemplifies the power of fate. Fate brought them together in the little CD store in New York City. Fate brought Daniel to save Natasha’s life by pushing her out of the way  of a drunk driver. Fate brought them together after their argument. Fate brought them together by having appointments in the same building with the same lawyer. When it looked like fate broke them up forever, it brought them together one last time on the plane.

Format: This novel was written in a very unique way. The narrator switched from Daniel, to Natasha, to another character like Natasha’s dad, to an unknown narrator giving information on things like multiverses or eyes. I also liked how the ending was not entirely perfect, because it went with the theme of life not being perfect. Natasha and Daniel went their separate ways, lost all communication, and learned to live without each other. Although they found each other again on a plane at the very end, we don’t know what happens and if it ends happily.

One quote I really liked was,

“He remembers another moment: They’d just found each other again after their fight. She’s talked about the number of events that had to go exactly right to form their universe. She’d said falling in love couldn’t compete.

He’s always thought she was wrong about that.

Because everything looks like chaos up close. Daniel thinks it’s a matter of scale. If you pull back far enough and wait for long enough, then order emerges.

Maybe their universe is just taking longer to form.”

I like this quote because it shows Natasha’s scientific point of view and Daniel’s poetical thinking. It also conveys this theme of love and fate.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel for its unique format and its realistic themes, conflicts, and characters. I would give this book 4 stars out of five stars, due to its slow start. If this appeals to you, I would definitely recommend this book!