“Love is worth
everything.”
In debut author Nicola Yoon’s Everything, Everything, we take a trip
into a world where danger is everywhere. Eighteen-year-old Madeline Whittier is
a normal girl, at least online. Offline, in the sanctuary of her white-walled
house, with her vigilant nurse by her side, she is simply ill. Or, rather, she
could become ill at any moment. For a girl with Severe Combined
Immunodeficiency—commonly referred to as “bubble baby disease”—exposure to the
Outside world could lead to a horrible death. When a boy named Olly moves in
next door and Maddy decides to take a chance at life, her carefully controlled
environment ceases to satisfy. There is a whole planet out there to explore,
and if she has to risk life and love to do so, so be it. But this adventure is
about to bring her alive in a whole new way that will quite possibly change her
life forever.
This novel calls to mind every cancer book
that has ever been written. Girl with a terminal illness? Check. Flawless boy
who refuses to stay away? Check. Daring adventures that are doomed from the
start to end in tragedy? Double check. However, that is just about where the
similarities end. Madeline’s SCID has controlled her entire life, trapping her
inside a sterile house with no company except her mother and nurse, and no
social outlet aside from her online classes and Tumblr book reviews. Where sick
protagonists in other titles rediscover the meaning of life, Maddy discovers
life itself for the first time. The entire piece is soaked through with hope,
impossible or not, and that is what sets it apart from every other novel in its
genre. Olly is only a part of those things, not their entirety, which turns
everything much more authentic.
The worldbuilding in Maddy’s story is
deceptively simple. There are no long, drawn-out descriptions of what SCID does
or how the various medical apparatus she uses work. Yet, somehow, her entire
world is rich with complexity. Both Whittiers dress in white, even though color
has no effect on the disease which plagues them. Without surviving family for
company, they have created two-player rules for group-sized games. While none
of this is explained in any great depth, it lends its own flavor to the story
and provides a vibrant backdrop for the plot. In this case, “worldbuilding”
depends heavily on the preexisting mother-daughter relationship, and Yoon does
not disappoint. Madeline and her mom have a sweet, loving bond that shows in
every interaction, no matter how insignificant. And when Maddy starts falling
for the boy next door, the strain this puts on their relationship adds a great
deal to the main plot.
Madeline’s seclusion has not made for a
very unwholesome atmosphere. She has a mother and nurse who love her, neither
of which swear or use any sort of violence. However, after her adventures with
Olly begin, a few instances of profanity slip in. This is fairly infrequent
and, while it consists of a couple of notable curses, is generally overlookable.
One of the neighboring families deals with domestic violence, which is
relatively non-graphic. The romance becomes quite physical at one point, and
although it is never outright crude it is described in a bit of detail. There
are plot twists everywhere—some good, some cruel, and some fantastic—but all
are worth looking forward to.
I would recommend this book to anyone
looking for a new take on the classic “sick girl meets healthy boy” trope.
Madeline Whittier is trapped in an impossible situation from which there is no escape,
and her journey toward enjoying it is heartbreakingly beautiful. Additionally,
her SCID—which is rarely, if ever, seen in fiction—gives the story a sense of
freshness it would otherwise lack. The plot is well-paced, full of twists and
turns that lurk behind each corner and are sure to keep readers on their toes.
All in all, Nicola Yoon’s debut novel Everything,
Everything is a fantastic read that deserves five stars.
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