Review: Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt

Title: Orbiting Jupiter

Author: Gary D. Schmidt

Series: Standalone

Publication: October 6th, 2015

Goodreads / Amazon

Summary: Jack, 12, tells the gripping story of Joseph, 14, who joins his family as a foster child. Damaged in prison, Joseph wants nothing more than to find his baby daughter, Jupiter, whom he has never seen. When Joseph has begun to believe he’ll have a future, he is confronted by demons from his past that force a tragic sacrifice.

Orbiting Jupiter was just so heartbreaking.

The writing was so simple, but so powerful. The words grip your attention so much, that you don’t even realize that the story progresses by so quickly. I finished the book in a few hours because of that. The author does a great job, making you care about the characters that barely no one in the story else cares for.

I loved the characters of Jack and Joseph (I kept getting their names mixed up while reading, haha). They were beautifully constructed and their friendship was what made the book extra special. A lot of factors are seen in this book but the friendship is the best and most touching part. Jack doesn’t listen to whoever says that he should not spend too much time with Joseph. We need more people like Jack in our world. He is a young boy but he knows so much more than all of the adults in the book. He is an observant character and his mind is so unbiased that he can see everything as it is.

Joseph made me feel so sad. He is fourteen years old, but he has lived such a long life already. He is such a strong person, and how he doesn’t speak much in the beginning is entirely understandable.

This story is really enlightening and it makes you look at the world differently. Terrible things happen to people and don’t just happen once.

I would absolutely recommend this book if you are okay with reading sad books.