My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga (Review #4)

"I think about the drawing his drawing of me. That girl he drew, she was beautiful. That girl wasn't a gray sky. She had hope. Hope is beautiful."

-Jasmine Warga, My Heart and Other Black Holes

I’m aware that I haven’t been writing for awhile. College’s been keeping me busy. For the past two months I’ve drowned myself in the world of Gothic fiction thanks to Literature class, meaning that I’ve basically spent my winter break with my nose stuck with classics, like Dracula and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. So, here I am again, finally able to get back to my regular reading habits.

A couple of days ago I decided to pick up a novel I’d been so excited abuot, but never got around to read. And let me tell you, I have not been able to put it down ever since. 

‘My Heart and Other Black Holes’ by Jasmine Wanga tells the story of Aysel and Roman, two teens that are obsessed with planning their own deaths. Meeting online and setting up a date to let go of everything, they begin spending time with each other, and as things proceed, one of them begins to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Now all that’s left to do is to convince the other one, and that’s the hardest part.

Considering the enormous controversial that goes around the topics discussed in this novel, especially suicide and mental health, Jasmine Warga had done an excellent job of creating two very different, and yet, very similar characters and giving readers a glimpse into their lives, full of twists and turn. The issues are explained clearly, to make sure every word touches each soul that’s reading, to get the message clear: You are never alone. Remember that. We all know it’s easier said than done, but somewhere out there, somewhere along the way, hope is waiting for you. And as Aysel mentions, hope is a beautiful thing.

"I can feel everything. And I want to keep feeling everything. Even the painful, awful, terrible things. Because feeling things is what lets us know that we're alive."

-Jasmine Warga, My Heart and Other Black Holes

I fell in love with the characters. Equally. I couldn’t choose between Aysel and Roman. The idea of trying to get someone you love to find happiness while you, yourself, are drowning, is simply breathtaking. And both characters shared moments of constantly trying to cheer the other up, despite their own negative emotions. I also love Aysel’s ethnicity. She’s Turkish. I think it’s beautiful to have more diverse characters in novels nowadays. It adds a little spice to the plot, a variety. Aysel has a half-sister (she emphasises on the word ‘half’!), and throughout the way I truly never hated her. I believe she’d been trying to find that light for Aysel since the beginning of the story, to try and save the family, to bring happiness into their home again. And Roman’s mom is just simply an angel! She reminds me of home.

For sometime, I couldn't understand Roman. I had to sit back and really get myself into the plot to truly put myself in his position. I know why he's sad, depressed even, to the point of wanting to end it all. I understand that. I just couldn't figure out why his family wasn't enough for him. And I finally understood it throughout the way. When you're busy drowning, you don't really pay attention to the people around you. I think that was the case with Roman. It took him a while to finally fix his eyes on something and lift himself up again. He needed somebody to constantly push him and let him see the brighter things in life. Oh, and by the way, he's also cute as heck!

"Everything used to seem so final, inevitable, predestined. But now I'm starting to believe that life may have more surprises in store that I ever realized."

-Jasmine Warga, My Heart and Other Black Holes

What this novel had taught me, however, is the fact that everybody has a life of their own. Beneath the flattering smiles and cheery laugh and all the skin, there’s always a storm. I adore stories that teaches me these kinds of lessons. They stay with you forever. They leave a mark on you. People, whoever they are, whatever they’re done, wherever they’ve been, are all equal. You never know what someone’s going through unless you’re in their shoes. If you smile and a stranger and they don’t smile back, let it go. They might be having a rough day. When I was in high school, one of my teachers used to say this almost everyday: Be kind.


Please, please, please, always choose kindness.

Till next time,
Anindya

Book Info
Title: My Heart and Other Black Holes
Author: Jasmine Warga
Publisher: Balzer & Bray/ HarperTeen
Page: 302
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Published: May, 2016
Get it here:
(International)
https://www.bookdepository.com/My-Heart-and-Other-Black-Holes-Jasmine-Warga/9780062324689?ref=grid-view&qid=1516432402211&sr=1-2
(Australia)
https://www.readings.com.au/products/18831922/my-heart-and-other-black-holes
https://www.dymocks.com.au/book/my-heart-and-other-black-holes-by-jasmine-warga-9780062324689/#.WmLsK61L3-Y

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