Jandy Nelson

When the World Tips Over is a book that dives deep into the dynamics of family, following a story that spans generations. Through the book, we follow the perspectives of 4 different characters along with notes from some other characters, plus the story of a family's ancestors. It's a lot to keep track of, but all of these pieces are interweaved in a way that slowly reveals a bigger picture while holding a feeling of mystery and destiny. There's a sense of magical realism throughout, which gives the characters and story an almost fairy tale type feel. The book is quite long, and at times I felt like it was moving much slower than I prefer with not a lot of action... but I think that it's just the type of book this is: very introspective and focused more on the characters than the plot. It was sometimes a bit depressing, yet thought-provoking enough to keep me wanting to read more, even when I wasn't quite sure where the story was going. There are certainly some interesting surprises along the way that I didn't see coming!

Thank you to Penguin Teen, Dial Books, and BookishFirst for the advance readers copy of When the World Tips Over! All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.… (plus d'informations)

This book is written in a really young-sounding, rambling way. Words and phrases are way overused, sometimes seemingly as a joke (hopefully, like "his raven ringlets ringletting ravenly") but at other times not. Despite reading like a child's diary, she says things that are very out of place for that young of a voice, like "sauvignon blanc vineyard" instead of just vineyard.

And now for the big issue. The apparent age demographic for the writing is very at odds with the characters' bizarre fixation on sex, which unsettled me. Within the first couple of pages, it talks in great detail about a TWELVE-year-old's sexual interests and knowledge. Every time I think I've escaped that strange obsession, it comes back, including strangely inappropriate comments toward her own brother. The brother recounts being kissed by a presumed adult while he is very underage and, on another occasion, drugged, SA'd (from how it reads), and left in a dumpster. Even when discussing his affinity for reading, that quickly turns to the hot English teacher and imagining him without clothes.

I am more than fine with reading about topics like this if they are written about in a responsible manner, but I did not feel like this book did so.
Very strange, confusing book, and definitely not for me.… (plus d'informations)

Jandy Nelson’s new YA novel, When The World Tips Over, delivers all of the feels, fun, emotion, and magic that her readers expect. The Fall family reeks of dysfunction — a father who walked out on them years ago, a mother who cannot face the truth, always in trouble oldest brother, Wynton, perfect middle son, Miles, and nerdy youngest, Dizzy — but a difficult past haunts them. When a mysterious young woman enters their lives, the truth begins to crash in for all of them. Although at times the story drags a bit, Nelson’s writing and character development shine making it more than worthwhile. (FYI —Nelson tackles a lot of issues in this book, drinking, abuse, cheating, sex, etc., that may not be suitable for younger readers.)… (plus d'informations)