Over the summer I read the novel, It's Not Summer Without You, by Jenny Han. In this realistic fiction novel, Belly and Jeremiah are the narrators, and Conrad, Jeremiah’s brother, is also another main character. Belly, Jeremiah, and Conrad have been friends since they were born. Every summer, they go to their summerhouse on Cousins Beach. Except for this summer is different, for once they are not going to Cousins Beach. After Conrad and Jeremiah’s mother dies, everything is deferent. Each character has a hard time dealing with this death. Han changes narrator a few times throughout the novel. This change of perspective clears things up for the reader a lot, because sometimes it is hard to express what the other characters are feeling. Now the reader understands what the character is actually going through. This death changes everything because without Susannah, it doesn't feel right going to the house. Conrad especially has a hard time dealing with his mother’s death. When he feels like he can’t take it anymore, he drops everything at college, and escapes to the summerhouse. Belly and Jeremiah finally find him there. Conrad is confused, hurt, and unsure of himself and his life. He doesn't yet know how to cope with this death. Belly and Jeremiah are shocked and mournful also, but they have found ways to cope. Belly is thinking about how happy she must be now that she isn’t hurting anymore. Jeremiah is dealing with the death by doing what he knows would make her proud. With different perspectives on each character, the reader can really comprehend what each character is going through. The theme of the novel is that dealing with death is hard, and it is the time you need your friends and family the most. With the different view of all the characters, you can really see how they deal, and what their methods are. This novel was fantastic, but if u read it, make sure to read the first of the trilogy, The Summer I Turned Pretty.
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