Weekend Writing: Reviewing Abbie Emmons' "100 Days of Sunlight"

Abbie Emmons' 100 Days of Sunlight. 

"I haven't written one verse, one line, one word of poetry. I have no desire to. I have no inspiration, no joy. It's all gone... There is no way to do anything normal. All the 'normal' has been knocked out of my life--just as the life has been out of me. I'm blind. I'm blind. I'm blind." - Abbie Emmons, "100 Days of Sunlight" 

Every so often, you read a book that reminds you so much of yourself you feel like you're reading about your own life. That's what happened in Abbie Emmons' 2019 debut novel, 100 Days of Sunlight. The novel follows 16-year-old Tessa Dickinson (a nod to Emily Dickinson, I'm sure), a poetry blogger who recently was in a tragic car accident that left her temporarily blind. She's expected to be blind for 100 days. 

Of course, this would be traumatizing for everyone--to lose their eyesight and suddenly be surrounded by thick, suffocating darkness. But it's even worse for a poet, who relies on her eyesight to write and publish her poetry. 

I said this novel reminded me about myself. Now, I'm not blind, but I am a poet. I can't imagine losing my eyesight and not being able to write. Like Tessa, it's a large part of my personality and my passion. She feels trapped in the darkness. She has ideas for poems, but she is unable to write them. So, her grandparents (who she lives with) decide to post a newspaper ad to look for a typist, someone who could help Tessa get back to the girl they knew. She needed to get back to the comfort of her blogging and writing zone. 

This typist becomes 16-year-old Weston Ludovico, a bright, confident, and optimistic amputee, who pleads for Tessa's grandparents not to tell her about his disability. Tessa's blind, so she can't see that he has two prosthetic legs. For the first time since his accident (when he was 13), somebody won't be able to judge him for his appearance. Someone won't know what happened to him. He'll be treated like a normal person, which is what he wanted more than anything. 

Abbie Emmons' 100 Days of Sunlight.

Knowing how angry and terrified Tessa must be feeling, Weston thinks he can help her. He sets out just to help her and maybe teach her that there is more to life than her disability. That was his intention. He didn't desire to grow close with Tessa, but as it often happens in young adult novels, Tessa and Weston form a strong bond. 

Tessa and Weston are very relatable characters. The simplicity yet complexity of their storylines feels perfect. Tessa is miserable at first. She doesn't want Weston's help. She doesn't want to depend on others. She took out all her frustrations on him, who didn't give up on her. Weston knows what it's like. Most people would have run far away from Tessa, but not Weston. He walked her through her blindness. He taught her that she can use other senses--smell, hearing, taste, and touch--to experience life in a whole new way. He forces her to believe in herself--to believe in her abilities and that she can overcome this. Her disability is not a limitation. 

"'There's nothing you can't do,' I reply, standing up and walking over to her desk. There's a fire in my fingertips. Tessa looks confused, sitting on her bed and frowning at nothing. I grip the back of the swivel chair and say it again. 'There's nothing you can't do.'" 

That's really it. That's what this brilliant novel teaches readers. We might have limitations, but there's nothing we can't do. Nothing controls us. The only thing we can control is how we adapt and grow from change. Emmons developed a strong, yet simple, premise with a well-crafted plot, as well as rich characters. You can't help but love Tessa and Weston. You know they will fall in love, and it's hard not to smile and swoon over the relationship. 

The story is delivered through a dual point-of-view (POV). Readers equally read about both Tessa and Weston's perspectives. Lately, I have been gravitating towards dual POV novels. Sometimes, there is more than one character I love and want to hear their thoughts. In this story, you can tell the differences between the two POVs. Their contrasting personalities shine through the way they talk and think. You know Tessa as a heartbroken poet who is scared about going out into the world. She's shy and would prefer to stay indoors, even before her accident. 

And, you know Weston, who is a spontaneous boy who tries his best to be confident and joyful. He takes Tessa out of her comfort zone, and through these experiences, the two fall in love. It's fun and exciting to watch their relationship grow. 

Abbie Emmons' 100 Days of Sunlight (photo/Pinterest).

But Weston knows something: Once Tessa gets her eyesight back, she won't like him anymore. He thinks she will see that he's permanently disabled and everything will change. She'll know he lied to her. She'll know what he looks like, and she'll want nothing to do with him. He's a bird with broken wings who will never be able to fly. He'll lose her, which might even be worse than ever losing your eyesight. 

"I feel like that broken bird, falling out of the sky all over again. One minute I was flying higher than everyone else--above the clouds, above the world. Lost in the blue. But now, I hit the ground." 

Abbie Emmons (photo/Unicorn Quester)

I won't spoil the ending because you need to read the novel yourself. You need to read about Tessa and Weston. You need to fall in love with them and wait for their relationship to evolve. Emmons' 100 Days of Sunlight is a poignant, heartfelt novel that draws readers into the story from the very beginning. Emmons' writing is delicate, relatable, and refreshing. It's a story of hope, love, and healing. It makes you want to fall in love. But it doesn't just do that. It makes you appreciate all of your senses. I will never take my eyesight for granted ever again. 

I'm a poet, like Tessa. I love to write poetry, and I need to see the sunlight in the world in order to reflect on it in poetry. 

-KJL-