Holding up the Universe by Jennifer Niven (2016)
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
People are shitty for a lot of reasons. Sometimes they're just shitty people. Sometimes people have been shitty to them and, even though they don't realize it, they take that shitty upbringing and go out into the world and treat others the same way. Sometimes they're shitty because they're afraid. Sometimes they choose to be shitty to others before others can be shitty to them. So it's like self-defensive shittiness. – Jack Masselin
As for the rest of you, remember this: YOU ARE WANTED. Big, small, tall, short, pretty, plain, friendly, shy. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, not even yourself. Especially not yourself. – Libby Strout
There is so much positivity in Holding up the Universe from the body positivity to the messages about living with neurological disorders to changing perceptions to the value of family. What is great about the characters is their diverse depth. There is a racial diversity you would expect in a modern American high school but it isn’t in your face it’s just there, within the two main characters one is Anglo, one is mixed race African American – Anglo but has his mother’s dark skin. The is LGBTQ representation but like the racial diversity, it isn’t in your face it is mentioned and not dwelled upon.
It has a point of predictability we are all semi-aware of the end game but it’s the journey that matters. Holding up the Universe is a glorious journey that is fast paced and takes a few surprising twists. For me this was more a character-based story, it is more about Jack and Libby than the plot. The support cast is introduced as needed with family and school family being basically the only people met. It is a pleasant way of reading but it does require engaging characters with good writing to succeed.
Jack has a neurological disorder called prosopagnosia, face blindness (he has been given a deliberately bad case), he cannot recognise people by their faces, he can see them, but can’t recall them. Then I started trying to walk in his shoes, I tried to think how I would identify the people in my life, how hard that must be. I live with my own neurological disorder and Jack’s hiding it, coping with it as best he can is so accurate. I spent so much time screaming at the book that is me, I did that. Jack’s family are great because they feel real, in particular, his little brother Dusty is just adorable, as is the robot.
And Libby. Libby is fantastic. Never does Jennifer Niven imply that she is a healthy weight, just that she is a healthier weight than she was and Libby is going to own it, not be a slave to people’s expectations. That body positivity is something that the age bracket this book is aimed at really need to read. A reminder that we come in all shapes and sizes and colours. Her creating fictional backstories is just something that people do (or is that a type of person that I know too many of) and the name selection for the people was king.
Jennifer Niven succeeded in creating good characters and suitable writing, Holding up the Universe is captivating and enjoyable while sending brilliant messages to people. 4.5 stars, I’m feeling like more could have been done with some of the support cast. This is a book that deserves all the praise it gets and more. For me this is essential for libraries and I would suggest reading it if you want a look with a window to what someone else is experiencing.
My reading experience in a gif:
Crossposted from Goodreads
References
Cover for 9780141357058. (n.d.-c). Penguin Australia. [Image File]. Retrieved from https://cdn2.penguin.com.au/covers/original/9780141357058.jpg
Late Night with Seth Meyers. (n.d.). I did it gif. Giphy. [Image file]. Retrieved from https://media.giphy.com/media/l2JJzQQc4HU5ydot2/giphy.gif
McPherson, C. (2018c, April 24). Catherine McP's review of Holding up the Universe. Goodreads. [Goodreads Review]. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2368915131
Niven, J. (2016). Holding up the universe. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.
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