ALL THE SUNSHINE IN THE WORLD

Guilt and grief come together in poet DuBois’ latest verse novel.

The book opens with unspoken wishes on Tolly’s 13th birthday. Her family is shattered—it’s been six months since her 16-year-old sister, Sunny, died. Tolly grapples with the strangeness of yearning for a “normal” birthday and with the reason that her sister got in a fatal car accident. Tolly, who presents white, wonders whether it was her fault—and whether her parents blame her. Riddled with guilt, the rising eighth grader tries to piece together Sunny’s last day, but for that she needs to find her sister’s phone. Even as the friendships around her change, Tolly is entrusted with running the new Luddite Club at school; although she really wants a phone, she’s one of the rare students not to have one (she lost hers in the aftermath of Sunny’s death). This powerful verse novel brims with poignancy, intricate details, and beautiful sentences, painting a portrait of a guilt-ridden teenager and a family coming to grips with tragedy. Between Tolly’s Luddite Club activities, which lead to unexpected growth, and her need to search her sister’s phone for answers, technology becomes central to the story. A focus on the outdoors, particularly trees—a special interest of Sunny’s—balances the technology element. Divided into four parts, the book is thoughtfully rendered, with complex characters and a plot that etches out the inevitable feeling of lingering guilt that comes in the aftermath of loss.

A lyrical exploration of loss.