The Sun Is Also A Star

Article written by Joshua Ehiosun

C2 certified writer.

‘The Sun Is Also A Star’ is a young adult romance novel by American author Nicola Yoon. It tells a beautiful story about a single day in the lives of Daniel Bae and Natasha Kingsley. As teenagers struggling with the brutal downturn of life, Natasha and Daniel meet by mere coincidence and embark on a ride that reshapes their perceptions of reality and existence. At the end of their journey, they learn that their encounter is one part of a story involving the lives of multiple people they had no idea about.

‘The Sun Is Also A Star’ begins with Natasha, an illegal immigrant, facing deportation back to Jamaica. Fighting to remain in the United States, she does all she can to meet those in immigration services who can help, but as the clock ticks on her final day, hope slowly dies out. Natasha eventually meets Daniel Jae Ho Bae, the son of Korean immigrants, and the most memorable day of her life occurs.

Key Facts about The Sun Is Also A Star

• Name: ‘The Sun Is Also A Star.’
• Author: Nicola Yoon.
• Language: English.
• Inspiration: In a 2016 interview, author Nicola Yoon stated the Big History Project inspired her to write ‘The Sun Is Also A Star.’ The BHP is a study that aims at defining the universe’s history. It seeks to study the past, going back to the Big Bang and aims to explain the unforeseen future of humanity. Though the novel was fictional, Nicola Yoon went far and beyond to study the ideology behind the BHP, and she integrated its concepts into her young adult story.
• Publication Date: November 1, 2016.
• Literary Period: Contemporary.
• Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Romance.
• Point of View: First-Person Perspective, Third-Person Perspective.
• Setting: New York City.
• Number of Pages: 384.
• Publisher: Delacorte Books.
• Climax: ‘The Sun Is Also A Star’ climaxes when Irene, a former security guard, becomes a flight attendant and helps passengers to their seats. She spots a young woman in dreads and is shocked to realize she knows her. when the plane reaches cruising speed, Irene heads to the woman and gains her attention by saying: ‘You saved my life.’ The young woman, in awe, looks at her and realizes she knows who is talking to her.
• Protagonists: Natasha, Daniel.

Nicola Yoon and The Sun Is Also A Star

I always thought it would take a lifetime to understand the human heart…but in the end, all it took was a single day.

-Natasha from The Sun is Also A Star.

Nicola Yoon received incredible praise upon publishing her hit novel ‘The Sun Is Also A Star.’ Many fans and critics praised her uniqueness in creating characters that fluidly interacted with each other. The author stated in multiple interviews that she always wanted to write something encompassing the relevance of fate in human interaction. She also said people love to love; this made her realize it was the best way to portray her story.

Nicola said she had to study the topics portrayed in her novel. She learned about immigration and the struggles of undocumented immigrants and had to read the scientific and historical aspects of the story. It all worked out incredibly, as her portrayal of the USCIS and mental issues like suicide and loneliness were spot on.

Books Related to The Sun Is Also A Star

• ‘Turtles All the Way Down’ by John Green is a young adult novel that follows the life of sixteen-year-old Aza Holmes, struggling with severe anxiety and OCD. Aza tries fitting into her friend group, but her illness prevents her from realizing the pain around her. She and her best friend, Daisy, attempt to solve the mysterious disappearance of local billionaire Russell Pickette, and in the process, she meets his son, Davis. Aza and Davis become close to each other and share a kiss. Later, Aza reads a story written by her best friend Daisy, and it makes her feel inadequate and guilty as she thinks one character mimicked her; this leads Aza down a thought spiral that ends with her in the hospital.
• ‘I Have Lost My Way’ by Gayle Forman is a novel about three young adults, Freya, Harun, and Nathaniel. Though each person has demons they are fighting, an accident brings them together. As they struggle to set themselves free, they begin realizing that coming out of the problem they landed in would involve helping one another.
• ‘I’ll Give You the Sun’ by Jandy Nelson is a young adult novel about Jude and Noah, who are twins. As they enter teenagehood, they grow apart because they struggle to find their identities and gain the attention of their mother, Diana. Their rivalry worsens when they apply to the same highly competitive art school. Noah, who is secretly gay, breaks his friendship with a boy he crushes on when his mother walks in on them. Later, Diana and Guillermo Garcia, a local sculptor, start having an affair. When she tells Noah, he is angry about it. Diana drives to meet her lover but dies in an accident. Later, Jude receives admission letters for her and Noah, but she hides his own away, not wanting him to know he got admission. On gaining entry into school, Jude’s mental health degrades as her mother’s death torments her. She eventually begins a self-healing journey and reconnects with her brother, who comes out as gay.

The Lasting Impact of The Sun Is Also A Star