I started to read with an open-mind. However the predictable "girl meets boy" happened within 3 pages. There was no real build up of the individual characters before the meeting so you never really find out what they are like by themselves. The entire book then revolves around these two characters together; how they feel about each other, how long until they will see each other, talking to each other on facebook.
This book is massively lacking in descriptive narrative. I had no idea that Finch had black hair until about 100 pages in. Occasionally I get to read that he is wearing a beanie.
I have no idea what colour Violet's hair is or the type of clothes she wears. There is no description of her bedroom (minus a pinboard), her house, her mum's car etc.
I don't know what their voices sound like, their accents, the way they carry themselves, the way they look when they see each other etc.
It's as though the author was solely fixated on Finch's mental health and nothing else mattered. As for that aspect, it seemed as though every possible aspect of bipolar was thrown onto his character without much thought. It felt like she had tried to cram every possible symptom into the 350 pages. But just in case we forgot, let's follow the author's suit, and briefly mention Violet's grief and self-blame over the car crash too.
The character of Finch seems to know no boundaries where Violet is concerned. He will turn up to her house in the middle of the night and tell her to come with him, with little care for what she wants to do. She does what he wants her to do because she is worried about his feelings. I can't recall him worrying about hers. The story tries to paint them as a perfect romance but I disagree. It seemed pretty one-sided to me.
The title of the book refers to a part where they recite a Dr. Seuss poem. For me it was such an insignificant part of the story. I understand that it is supposed to symbolise their future and show that they have hope but it was such a small part of a big book and there weren't many bright places. "The blue hole" would make a lot more sense. As I was reading I actually thought to myself that, had the book been called "The Jovian-Plutonian Gravitational Effect" I would have been a lot more likely to pick it up. However, this book came out around the same time as Meghan Trainor's song with the lyrics "all the right curves in all the right places" which is all I think of when I see the title.
I did really enjoy the parts where they would go wandering - there seemed to be more description for these parts so it was easier to feel like you are part of the story and it was interesting enough to hold my interest and keep me reading.
Some parts of the book are written well and it flows nicely. But every now and again there just seems to be a mash of romance, mental illness, loss, abuse and general school life as if the author is trying to appeal to all possible teen audiences. I prefer books that stick to one main theme but this might be good for those that prefer a bit of everything.
The story does get more interesting towards the end where the characters have chapters that don't solely revolve around each other.
The helplines at the back of the book is a nice touch and the author's note did make me sympathise a little more with the characters.
I wouldn't read it again but it wasn't the worst.
3/5
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