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A review by emleemay
Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt
4.0
4 1/2 stars. My god, this book was so sad.
I'm not a book crier. Not really. When I say a book made me cry I usually mean that tears filled my eyes, but that's all. This book, though... I got pretty close a few times and then in the penultimate chapter, I just lost it. I actually felt my face crumple and my nose was stinging.
Now I've painted you that beautiful picture of my breakdown, I'm going to try to review this book. It's not easy. I've loved Schmidt's other YA/Middle Grade contemporary novels - [b:Okay for Now|9165406|Okay for Now|Gary D. Schmidt|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388860777s/9165406.jpg|14044509] and [b:The Wednesday Wars|556136|The Wednesday Wars|Gary D. Schmidt|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1442044636s/556136.jpg|2586820] - each had a sadness to it, but not quite like this one.
[b:Orbiting Jupiter|23714521|Orbiting Jupiter|Gary D. Schmidt|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1430501923s/23714521.jpg|43324356] is quiet and simple for the most part, which makes it all the more devastating when the blows come. And come they do. Schmidt has a way of effortlessly drawing out emotions in every scene, without ever making you feel like you're being manipulated. This quiet sadness is more effective than any drama I could read.
The story is narrated by Jack, the 12 year old son of foster parents. When 14 year old Joseph joins their family, his life is changed in many ways and not all of them are good. It actually tells two stories - on the one hand, it's about the power of friendship and *sob* "having someone's back", on the other, it's about Joseph's backstory. I'm not sure which one elicited the greatest emotional response from me.
It made me sad and even angry at times. Joseph - we soon learn - is a 14 year old parent to a baby called Jupiter. Both naive and mature, all he wants is to be with his baby and love her. You understand why being with Joseph is not in Jupiter's best interests, whilst also being heartbroken for him. Especially after learning of his abusive, loveless upbringing.
The author's decision to narrate from Jack's POV gives the novel even more strength. We are not clouded by Joseph's blind love for his baby, but we do also see how powerless children are. We feel their frustrations and sadness.
As we reached the novel's climax, I thought I had mixed feelings about the way it was ending, but that last part completely won me over. I recommend this to everyone who enjoys contemporary YA/Middle Grade.*
*The characters are young but it has as much depth as any YA book.
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I'm not a book crier. Not really. When I say a book made me cry I usually mean that tears filled my eyes, but that's all. This book, though... I got pretty close a few times and then in the penultimate chapter, I just lost it. I actually felt my face crumple and my nose was stinging.
Now I've painted you that beautiful picture of my breakdown, I'm going to try to review this book. It's not easy. I've loved Schmidt's other YA/Middle Grade contemporary novels - [b:Okay for Now|9165406|Okay for Now|Gary D. Schmidt|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388860777s/9165406.jpg|14044509] and [b:The Wednesday Wars|556136|The Wednesday Wars|Gary D. Schmidt|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1442044636s/556136.jpg|2586820] - each had a sadness to it, but not quite like this one.
[b:Orbiting Jupiter|23714521|Orbiting Jupiter|Gary D. Schmidt|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1430501923s/23714521.jpg|43324356] is quiet and simple for the most part, which makes it all the more devastating when the blows come. And come they do. Schmidt has a way of effortlessly drawing out emotions in every scene, without ever making you feel like you're being manipulated. This quiet sadness is more effective than any drama I could read.
The story is narrated by Jack, the 12 year old son of foster parents. When 14 year old Joseph joins their family, his life is changed in many ways and not all of them are good. It actually tells two stories - on the one hand, it's about the power of friendship and *sob* "having someone's back", on the other, it's about Joseph's backstory. I'm not sure which one elicited the greatest emotional response from me.
It made me sad and even angry at times. Joseph - we soon learn - is a 14 year old parent to a baby called Jupiter. Both naive and mature, all he wants is to be with his baby and love her. You understand why being with Joseph is not in Jupiter's best interests, whilst also being heartbroken for him. Especially after learning of his abusive, loveless upbringing.
The author's decision to narrate from Jack's POV gives the novel even more strength. We are not clouded by Joseph's blind love for his baby, but we do also see how powerless children are. We feel their frustrations and sadness.
As we reached the novel's climax, I thought I had mixed feelings about the way it was ending, but that last part completely won me over. I recommend this to everyone who enjoys contemporary YA/Middle Grade.*
*The characters are young but it has as much depth as any YA book.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | Pinterest