3/2/18

Everything, Everything- Letter Essay #6

About a week ago, I finished the book Everything, Everything. Everything, Everything is a realistic fiction, a 360-page book by Nicola Yoon. Nicola Yoon is also the author of The Sun Is Also A Star, which is another popular book by her. She used to make jewelry, and writes all of her first drafts of her books by hand. Everything, Everything stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for 11 weeks after it was published, on September 1, 2015. I chose this book, because I had read The Sun Is Also A Star, which Nicola Yoon wrote, and i had enjoyed; but, also, because I had seen one of my friends reading it, and she had said it was a good book.

Everything, Everything is a book about a girl named Maddie who has Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, or “bubble baby disease.” She is not allowed to leave her house, because anything can trigger her to have an attack, without her knowing what it is, and she could die from it. Her mom, is very overprotective of Maddie. The only two people that Maddie sees frequently, are her mom, and her nurse, Carla. But, that all changes when Maddie meets Olly. Olly moves next door to Maddie, with his mom, dad, and sister. Olly and Maddie talk over IM, then, Carla let’s Olly come and see Maddie, and Maddie realizes that she is willing to risk a lot for Olly. Even going outside. Olly’s dad struggles with alcohol issues, and sometime hits Olly and his family. When Olly’s dad punches Olly in the stomach, and Maddie rushes outside to help him, without even thinking about how it could harm her. Her mom freaks out, banning Maddie from IM’ing with Ollie, firing her maid, Carla, and grounding her. Maddie becomes furious at her mom, and gets a credit card, to book a flight for herself and Olly to fly to Hawaii. They stop and visit Carla, before getting on the plane to go to Hawaii. Read the book to find out what happens, next!

I was surprised, when Maddie’s mom fired Carla, Maddie’s nurse. Maddie had such a close relationship with her nurse, and it really hurt Maddie that her mom would do something like that to her. I was even more shocked, later, when her mom said when Carla was leaving, “. . .it’s sad for me, too (p. 141).” Later, she even said “I’d be a bad mother if I let her stay (p. 147).” It seems crazy to me that after she let’s Carla go, she makes up all these ridiculous excuses to Maddie. She took away both of her friends, Olly and Carla, and she thinks that she can pretend like she is going through something difficult, too? Her mom took away Maddie’s happiness when she took them away, and it was crazy that she thinks that she can make it up to Maddie by playing games and watching movies with Maddie, and ridiculous explanations.

The main character, Maddie, comes off as a hard worker, someone who thinks things through, easygoing, girl who enjoys her lifestyle, even though it is difficult. But, like in most books, the main character changs. When she meets Olly, she changes. She starts hanging out more with him, losing bonding time with her mom, becoming stubborn with her mom and Carla. Then, shockingly, Maddie falls in love with Olly. She realizes that she always wants to be with him. So, since her mom won’t let them be together, Maddie takes matters into her own hands, and flies to Hawaii with Olly. There, Maddie is at peace. She is so happy, and so much more full of life in Hawaii with Olly then she ever was with her mom back at home.

I couldn’t understand why the author made it so that Maddie cuts off communication with Olly after they come back from Hawaii. After Maddie was so happy and full of life, she cuts the ties with the person who made her that way? That made no sense to me at all. Why, suddenly after showing her mom that she needs to be with Olly, does she relent to what her mom wants her to do, and stop communicating with Olly?

I was interested in this passage, where Maddie first meets Olly in person:

“After all the IMs I felt like I knew him, but now with him standing in front of me, it doesn’t feel that way at all. He’s taller than I thought and way more muscled, but not bulky. His arms are lean and sculpted and his biceps fill the sleeves of his black T-shirt. His skin is a tanned golden brown. It would be warm to touch (p. 72).”

I liked the way that the author described the differences, of what Maddie thought Olly was going to be like, vs. what he actually was like. Though, it is cheesy, likewise to the rest of the book, I enjoyed that she expressed Maddie’s feelings. I would rate this book a 6 out of 10, because it was pretty cheesy, and some parts could have been written better.

Sincerely,

Marissa Schrade

P.S. Everything, Everything was made a movie, in 2017. Below, is the trailer for it.