Some books are capable of transporting the reader to other worlds for moments when the book is directly in front of them. And that’s such a difficult thing to come by, just mere moments. However, other books, like this one, are so vivid that the world simply refuses to be left, even when the book is closed.
At least, that’s how I felt reading this. I had to read this book in one day (yes, had to) because when I wasn’t reading, my heart and mind were perpetually in Bartlett, Indiana. This story is just so hard to escape. The characters have such real and identifiable struggles that I empathized with them more than I think any other character I’ve had the pleasure to read about.
Rating: 5 Shells
I think I could try to explain the beauty of this book in the way the writing sneaks up on you or in the way Finch and Violet captured my heart (and have yet to let go), but it really just comes down to this feeling- this heavy feeling in my chest that this novel gave me, making me aware that ATBP is powerful, evocative, and lovely. So, so lovely.
There’s not much else to say. I loved this and it made me search for my bright places and, truly, I’ve never felt so completely captivated by a book and its characters. I rooted for Violet and Finch the whole way. The writing is gorgeous and the story is powerful and so personal.
Listen, I don’t know how Niven did this and I can’t even begin to explain it. It’s the writing but it’s more than that. It’s the characters but something deeper. It’s the setting but not. Niven crafts a perfect combination of everything here. A deep connection with the characters, a setting attached to them, and a conflict that would pull on a grumpy old dad’s heart strings. There’s a reason this is a YA staple and if you have yet to read it, just make sure that when you do you have the whole day free. Once you start this it refuses to be left alone. A 5 star read if I’ve ever seen one.
“Sometimes, Ultraviolet, things feel true to us even if they’re not.”
Books by the Water 