Holding Up The Universe - Book Review

Author: Jennifer Niven

Published in the year: 2016

“Holding Up the Universe” is a young adult fiction written by author Jennifer Niven published by Penguin publishers. It was nominated for Goodreads Choice Awards Best Young Adult Fiction for the year 2016. The book is set in Amos, Indiana, mostly around Martin Van Buren Highschool.

Plot Summary

The plot revolves around two teenagers. One of them is Jack Masselin, a 17-year-old, popular boy who has self-diagnosed himself with prosopagnosia, a neurological disorder that inhibits the ability to recognise faces and tries his best to keep it a secret from the rest of the world and fit into the crowd because according to him “it is better to hunt than to be hunted”. Other one is Libby Strout, who is a 16-year-old girl who has been homeschooled for three years since his mother’s death and is starting high-school again as a normal teenager. Libby is an over-weight girl who had to be taken out of her house by a crane when she had a panic attack and was known as “America’s fattest teenager” which lead to her receiving a lot of hate mail from the world.

As Libby starts high school she is ready for “every possibility life has to offer. At that moment, I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything”. But as the story moves forward, she becomes a target due to a silly game “Fat girl rodeo” ironically by Jack. They become friends and put the whole thing past them and realize that they have more in common than they actually thought which leads to an unusual, adorable romance. However, in the book, the romance is less highlighted and what is more highlighted is their individual struggles as adolescents trying to figure their life out and develop virtues like self-love in Libby’s case and courage to be his own self in Jack’s case.

They help each other grow into better individuals, but most importantly, they help themselves grow out of their fears. For example, Libby decides to show bullies, that she is aware of her self worth and knows she is wanted; all on her own. While on the other hand, Jack feels bad about not being able to speak up in order to fit in, and thus makes a robot for his little brother Dusty who apparently is a “Shitkicker” which “kicks shitty people’s butts”. They both have their individual journeys which intertwine to give us a strong narrative about high schools and adolescent struggles.

Jack and Libby narrate alternating chapters. The novel also occasionally moves forward or backwards in time, as well. Jack and Libby narrate in the present tense and from a first-person point of view, allowing readers a close look into the thoughts of the two main characters as they navigate their identities and meet the mental, social, and emotional challenges of adolescence.

Character Analysis

Jack Masselin: 17-year-old Jack “Mass” Masselin is a popular, “jock”-type junior at Martin Van Buren High School who serves as one of the novel’s two main characters. Readers learn much about Jack’s physical traits when he remarks on his reflection in the bathroom mirror: “The guy in the mirror isn’t bad-looking—high cheekbones, strong jaw, a mouth that’s hitched up at one corner like he just got done telling a joke like he’s smart and he knows he’s smart” He looks like he embraces his arrogance in the starting of the book. But as we dig into the novel, we realise that Jack is having insecurities because of his neurological disorder “prosopagnosia” and cannot recognize people’s faces, and he hides it from everyone even his own parents so that he is not targeted in school. He is really smart, smart enough to make things like a weather forecasting machine, talking lego robot etc, all on his own. He is also a character that realizes his mistakes and accepts them. He wants to be less of a jerk, but he often goes around staying quiet because he does not want to be targeted by others.

Libby Strout: 16-year-old Libby Strout is an overweight teenager, who has been cut off from the world, ever since her mom’s death. She had been home-schooled throughout her middle school. She gained so much weight past her mother’s death that she had to be cut out of her house when she had a panic attack, which led her to get a reputation of “America’s fattest teen”. She is optimistic and confident. She believes in herself and does not give in to bullying and tries to show others that she knows that she is wanted by saying

“As for the rest of you, remember this: YOU ARE WANTED. Big, small, tall, short, pretty, plain, friendly, shy. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, not even yourself. Especially yourself.”

She is also inclusive and very passionate about dancing. She is witty and gives witty replies to people who try to mock her. She believes in herself. She believes that one can’t stop living just because something bad happened to them.

Theme

Support: The main theme that the novel revolves around support. This can be said so because the two protagonists, Jack and Libby found people that support them and that don’t shy away when things get hard. Support from people that they were close to gave them courage to fight and defend their flaws and grow into their better selves.

Conflict: Man v/s Man

The book revolves around drama and conflict. The two main protagonists face conflicts in their everyday life. In Jack’s case, it is the stress of prosopagnosia, and how he wants to be able to recognize faces. In Libby’s case, it is the insecurity of her weight and what opinions others have about her. Both of them face these conflicts every day and grow better.

Conclusion

Overall “Holding Up the Universe” is about two teenagers who learn to navigate their twisted lives together and their characters strengthen throughout the novel.