New York : Delacorte Press, [2016]
348 p. ; 22 cm.
This book was a delight. Two high school seniors - who couldn't be much more different - start the day total strangers, and end up by the evening deeply in love. They have to overcome a world of differences to get there: Natasha is an undocumented Jamaican immigrant facing immediate deportation, and Daniel is as first generation Korean American who is up against his parents' plans for him to get into Yale, be a doctor, and partner up with a "good Korean girl."
Daniel aspires to be a poet, and lives by the values of idealism, hopes, and dreams. Natasha is a lover of science and rational decisions. Their paths cross one morning in NYC as Daniel heads for a crucial Yale entrance interview and Natasha pursues legal aid to stave off her deportation.
It seems almost silly to describe the plot, but it really works. In spite of a few improbable plot devices (reminded me a little of Thomas Hardy's narrative tricks!) the development of the relationship between the characters is believable and very sweet. By the end of the book the reader can't help but be rooting for these two fine human beings.
As I read The Sun is Also a Star, I thought of a lovely, romantic movie that has a similar one day of falling in love and a similar feel - Before Sunrise., which is interesting in that The Sun is Also a Star was apparently made into a movie, but one which did not share the critical acclaim of Before Sunrise. Don't let that keep you away from this lovely little jewel of a book.
No comments:
Post a Comment