All the Way Around the Sun out now from Quill Tree Books; 304 pages
Content Warning: Death, drug use
About the Author: “XiXi Tian was born in China and immigrated to the United States when she was a year old. She grew up in central Illinois. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in history and then graduated from Harvard Law School. She is a tech lawyer by day and a writer by night. Although she now lives on Long Island with her husband, son, and cat, she is a lifelong Midwesterner at heart” (Bio from author’s website).
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Raised by their grandmother in China, Stella Chen and her brother Sam have felt disconnected from their parents ever since they joined them in America and left their grandmother behind. When Stella’s brother unexpectedly dies while at college, her family picks up and moves from rural Illinois to San Diego. Stella feels even more alone in the face of his absence and thousands of miles from home. In an attempt to get her to finish her college applications, Stella’s parents force her on a road trip through California with her childhood friend Alan Zhao. Between their falling out years ago and her fears surrounding her future, Stella doesn’t want to go. However, somewhere along the way, they reconnect and begin to mend the relationship that was fractured so long ago.
All the Way Around the Sun was perfect. I can’t remember the last time I read a YA contemporary romance that had such power behind its words. Yes, there is a romance in this novel, but it is truly about Stella healing herself and discovering who she is and what she wants in the aftermath of her brother’s death. The romance, which starts as the reconnection of old friends, just helps her get there. Alan Zhao understands her better than anyone, which is why she is able to open up to him and tell him things that have been holding her back since Sam’s death. What I really loved about this book, though, was the storytelling. Tian swapped between first person point of view and second person, where Stella addresses her brother after his death by using “you.” She uses these chapters to tell stories about their past and what happened leading up to his death, and they truly enriched the narrative. Not only did these stories give the reader insight as to how she was feeling and what her brother was like, but they also illustrated their complicated family dynamics before and after his death. Stella struggled a lot with feeling disconnected from her parents as a result of the years spent away from them in China, and she had to reflect before she could begin to mend that relationship. The ending left many questions unanswered, but that is how life works. Everything about this book and the ending was crafted so beautifully I cried as I read the last page. I have no notes, All the Way Around the Sun was simply perfect.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank Books Forward and Quill Tree Books for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Sam Yanis, Pine Reads Review Lead Writer