No and Me by Delphine De Vigan

I try not to judge a book by its cover, but when I saw the cover for No and Me, I knew I had to read it. The cover of the book is simple yet striking. With the title embossed in the style of a Paris metro sign and the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

No and Me is an remarkable story of an unlikely friendship that develops between reclusive genius Lou and homeless No.

Lou has the IQ of 160 and is constantly looking for answers, being so smart she is two years ahead in school. She spends her time alone, apart from the school heart throb, Lucas who randomly befriends her. She lives alone her with her mother and father, where her father struggles to keep the family together, with her depressed mother who never got over the loss of a child. Her mother spends her time, drifting from day to day, repeating the same motions and questions.

But then Lou meets No, a homeless girl who will help her with research for a presentation. No is a few years older than Lou, but they quickly become friends and No tells Lou of her experiences of living on the streets. At times No is quite vocal with her experiences and other times she is closed off, only wanting to be Lou so she can some warmth and food.

As time passes, the friendship becomes stronger and Lou becomes determined with getting No’s life back on track with the aid of another unlikely friend in the form of Lucas. As she tries to fix No’s life, she is unaware of the changes that she is inflicting on her own life.

No and Me is a such wonderful read, that I read it in only two days. Every character is so interesting, Lou and her inquisitive nature wanting to help No and longing for a normal mother and then there is No, who is moody, sometimes nice and other times appearing ungrateful as she doesn’t know to deal with the sudden care and consideration from a stranger. This is a beautifully written bittersweet story of a coming of age friendship, that will touch and enlighten many more hearts to come, as it did with mine.

You can buy [amazon_link id=”0747599645″ target=”_blank” ] No and Me on Amazon[/amazon_link] and other bookshops.