I'll Give You the Sun

Jude Sweetwine is the other protagonist of the book, and her perspective composes the other half of the story. Jude’s chapters encompass the events in the twins’ life when they are 16 years old. Also a naturally gifted artist, unlike Noah, Jude’s identity is not as closely tied to her art. She is friendly and sociable by nature, has other hobbies and interests, and is generally well-liked and popular. However, this inverts in the later timeline, when Jude suppresses her natural vivaciousness owing to the shame that she feels over a sexual experience when she was younger.

Jude is initially portrayed to be Benjamin’s favorite child; however, they drift apart in the aftermath of Diana’s death. Jude’s relationship with Dianna is a complicated one from the very beginning of the book. While they do share their affinity for Grandma Sweetwine’s beliefs and worldview, Dianna’s closeness with Noah on account of the latter’s art becomes a sore point in Jude’s relationships with both Dianna and Noah. Jude experiences conflict with both Dianna and Noah, clashing with the former over her choice of dressing and her relationships with boys, and competing with the latter for Dianna’s attention.

Jude’s relationship with Dianna impacts her self-concept and self-esteem in significant ways, as is seen in how she presents herself in the later timeline of the book. Dianna’s constant warnings that Jude is turning into “that girl” sticks with her, particularly and unfortunately when Jude’s first sexual experience, which is anyway an unpleasant one, coincides with the event of Dianna’s death. Besides intertwining these two unrelated events in her head and developing obsessive compulsive tendencies to cope with the lack of control Jude feels, she also, in connection, internalizes shameful ideas about herself and her sexuality; thus, she imposes a “boy boycott” upon herself. Jude’s journey is one of self-forgiveness and acceptance, a huge part of which is opening herself up to love again. It is when she allows this to happen that her creative and artistic impulses flow freely once again, which in turn allows her to benefit from the cathartic forces of art, as she finally grieves and heals from Dianna’s death. 

Dianna and Benjamin Sweetwine are Noah and Jude’s parents. Benjamin is a scientist, while Dianna is an art history professor. Although Dianna and Benjamin are said to have had a happy marriage initially, by the beginning of the story, the cracks in their relationship are apparent. Much of this is attributed to the vastly differing personalities they possess: Dianna subscribes to Grandma Sweetwine’s worldview, believing in magic, miracles, and the supernatural, whereas Benjamin is strictly a man of science and reason. Eventually, Dianna begins an affair with Guillermo, which leads to the end of her marriage; Benjamin moves out. Dianna dies in a car crash as she is on her way to accept Guillermo’s proposal of marriage. After her death, Benjamin is left a shadow of his former self, withdrawn and perpetually “perplexed.” Only upon Noah’s revelation of the truth about Dianna is Benjamin finally able to let go and move on, as he receives the answers that he was looking for.

As a character, Dianna appears to prioritize her own desires and dreams. Although she presents it as a message from Grandma Sweetwine, Benjamin suggests that Dianna’s idea of the twins joining CSA is a projection of her unfulfilled dreams of becoming an artist. Dianna’s propensity towards the magical and the wistful also sees her blinded to the needs of those around her. Dianna is so awed by Noah’s talent when she first sees his artwork, that she completely ignores the needs of her other child. Dianna’s calling off the contest even before Jude’s work is the definitive beginning of the rift between Noah and Jude. Her characteristic absent-mindedness is seen on multiple occasions. In the earlier timeline, engrossed in conversation about art, she and Noah forget Jude at the museum. In the later timeline, completely absorbed by her love for Guillermo, Dianna is unavailable to her children, lost in thought and humming to herself, even forgetting Benjamin’s birthday. Dianna’s self-absorbedness plays out in both helpful and harmful ways throughout the story. She inadvertently causes great damage to the relationship between Noah and Jude, as well as herself and Jude. However, she also urges Noah to follow his heart and be true to himself, advice that serves him well later.

In stark contrast to Dianna, Benjamin is seen to be deeply rational and logical. He is presented as a stereotypical father, sharing a close relationship with his daughter while constantly expecting more of his son. The latter causes tension between Benjamin and Noah. Benjamin’s constant comparisons of Noah to Jude cause Noah to resent him for years, and Noah comes to believe that Benjamin will not accept Noah’s sexuality. However, as the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that Benjamin deeply loves and cares for Noah. When Benjamin leaves the house, the only thing he takes with him is Noah’s drawing, a reminder of the time they spent together as just father and son. By the end of the book, upon discovering the truth about Dianna and Guillermo, Benjamin is finally a man at ease. He is relieved of the burden of the question that has been hounding him since Dianna’s death: Why would she have been looking to reconcile with him? Benjamin’s need for truth and logic is also what, eventually, allows him to accept Noah as he is; ultimately, it is what “makes more sense.”

Guillermo Garcia is a famous and eccentric stone sculptor. He is Dianna’s love interest, and she has an affair with him while she is still married to Benjamin. She is prepared to ask Benjamin for a divorce to marry Guillermo, but Guillermo does not learn this until much later, as Dianna dies in a car crash before she can tell him. Not much is seen of Dianna and Guillermo’s relationship; however, from his reaction to her death, little snippets of his letters to her, and Oscar’s account of their dynamic, it is apparent that he loved her deeply. Guillermo does not shy away from his pain; rather, he channels his heartbreak into his art, creating magnificent sculptures in an intense and violent process., Guillermo serves as a teacher and mentor to Jude. As fierce as he can be in his artistic process, he is equally kind and responsible as a human being. When Guillermo finds Oscar unconscious in the park, he takes Oscar in off the streets on the condition that Oscar clean up his act and make something of his life. Guillermo displays the same protectiveness towards Jude, trying his best to ensure that Oscar does not hurt Jude as he has so many other girls in the past. Guillermo becomes an important figure in Jude’s life, especially because she lacks a strong emotional support system in her own family at the point at which she meets Guillermo. The ease she feels with him from the very beginning is highlighted by her eagerness to continue working with him even after she discovers the truth about Dianna’s affair; Jude has bonded with Guillermo enough that she accepts him as a part of her life, because and despite his past with Dianna.