Analysis Of Themes, Views And Values In The Everything, Everything By Nicola Yoon

Nicola Yoon, a Jamaican-American author who is best known for writing the 2015 young adult novel Everything, Everything, a New York Times bestseller and the basis of a 2017 film of the same name. Yoon’s main inspiration and reasoning behind the novel was her daughter, four months of age when the book was in the process of writing. She says. “I knew that eventually, I would tell her that she could be anything she wanted and that she should follow her dreams. ” As she was not following her dreams, this inspired her to create a novel for her daughter to see a reflection of herself on the page, fearless and empowered.

Everything, Everything, follows a story of a 17-year-old girl, Maddie, who suffers from a severe combined immunodeficiency, meaning her immune system is incredibly weak, resulting in her inability to fight off common illnesses. Due to her illness, Maddie has been isolated in her whole life in the safety of her house, in which everything has been sterilised, and the air is continuously pumped through air filters. Having lived more than seventeen years inside her home, Maddie believes that she has come to terms with her illness. She has taught herself that her simple life of books and her online school work is as exciting as it will get. Maddie’s isolation within her house means that she has communication with her overprotective yet loving mother and caring and friend-like nurse, Carla. Maddie comes to realise that by dreaming of life outside will only cause her to be depressed by what she cannot have, so Madeline learns to ignore the outside. Her acceptance with her simplistic life is contested when a teenage boy and possible future love interest, Olly, moves in next door.

This story then follows her discovery how the greatest risk is not taking one. Nicole Yoon has profoundly touched on the concept of fear. Showcased through main character Maddie, just because you can’t experience everything the world has to offer, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t experience anything at all. This reminds the reader that the world is unpredictable, and although we can do everything right, not everything is perfect. Although this can happen, you learn throughout the novel that this doesn't make the world any less worthless, as sometimes it takes these mistakes to understand the real value of living. A major theme that is encountered in the novel is identity. As the illness defines Maddie's entire existence, developing and discovering her identity becomes challenging as she does not have outside factors contributing such as unique memories or extended family. As her environment is concealed due to her illness, Maddie only ever has the company of her Mother and her Nurse. Maddie;s isolation in her home and limited connection to people on the ‘outside world’ causes Maddie’s social skills to lack. When meeting Olly for the first time, Maddie tends to be socially awkward and uncomfortable. Her developing connection and communication with Olly contributed to developing her identity. the connection being formed between Maddie and Olly brings a time of reflection for Maddie as she thinks about her place in the universe, outside the confines of her home, and to acknowledge what she wants. As the book progresses, decision making becomes a big part of Maddie’s life. When her mother discovered the relationship between Maddie and Olly, the mother forbids it and causes them to become distance. The loss of Olly helps Maddie to view the outside world as something more than something that could kill her. As she is growing up and beginning to make her own decisions, she considered the risks that she wants to take, and how it will impact her journey in discovering her identity outside of her home. This also helps Maddie to realise how she wants to live her life, and whether the risk of the outside world is more of one then the risk of not experiencing what the world has to offer.

The connection between Maddie and Olly springs an element of love within the novel. When Olly enters Maddie’s life, her simple life has a spark of excitement to it. As Maddie is isolated in her house, this creates an obstacle in the developing friendship between the two. This connection that develops into love helps the book showcases the risks and decisions that people are willing to be taken for love, and whether or not those risks are worth it. The relationship between the two is hidden from Maddie’s mother. When it is revealed, Maddie's mother forbids it and forces them to split and have little to no connection under her watch. The love that Maddie’s mum has for her daughter has not only caused Maddie to suffer from not having a relationship with her love Olly but causes her to become frustrated and realise her position in the world and the power that she has. This develops into the decision making and also decide whether those risks that are wanted to be taken for love are worth it.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this novel and enjoyed creating a deeper understanding of the themes, views and values in the novel and also how the setting is used to convey the fears and hopes of the characters. I would recommend this book to those people looking for a young adult fiction novel, that consists of drama, with a hint of romance, and an nice easy and relaxing read.