The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma

Some of us had been running all our lives. We ran because we could and because we could not. We ran for our lives. We still thought they were worth running for.

I've had people at my house the last few weeks, but finally I am back with a review. I still need to review The Replacement but this book just needs to be raved about.

Because. THIS BOOK.

Stats:

Genre: Modern day with a hint of paranormal. Atmospheric

Feelings: Hahhahahahahaa. HA. Haaaaa. Hhhhhhaaaaaaaa.

Yes.

Happiness: Prose inspired happiness.

Cuteness: This is not a cute book. This is a beautiful damaging book you will think about for days after even if you don’t like it.

Fast pacing: No? But I read it…very fast.

Series:  No. 

Read if you like: Short and simple and powerful prose. Tragic stories, tragic characters, harsh blunt story lines. Ghosts.

Content: This book isn't subtle when describing life in a juvenile “detention center”. It’s very harsh and hard to read, and there are some scenes of sexual nature that are not unnecessarily graphic, but it’s pretty clear what’s going on. PG13 

In one sentence...  I…I can’t do it. I’m sorry I can’t. It’s about secrets and darkness and things you could have done or should have done. Just read it.

Thoughts: A abandoned room, a small metal bed, vines covering the walls. Worn ballet shoes, a dark tunnel, a drop of blood

Messages: Everything will come back and haunt you.

Overall:

Rating: 5/5

This review has LIGHT THEMATIC SPOILERS but those are spoilers you'll get if you read the goodreads description. I recommend maybe reading it with none of that and then come back

The Lovely Bits:

I simply cannot deal. This is one of the most gorgeous books I have read in a very long time. I read Nova's novel Imaginary Girls last year at the recommendation from Linnea, and while I liked it, it wasn't outstanding. The prose and relationships were good but I had read less of the "weird" paranormal books. Now that I've read more I realize just how much I love "weird" paranormal stories.

-Characters-

The characters are flawless. One of my favorite things in a story is the Unreliable Narrator. This is something that annoys a lot of people, but when done well it's very intriguing to me. Both of the characters this story focuses on were beautifully made and insanely flawed and interesting. Nova mastered the characters that you know are awful but you can't help love. Even Violet, who was basically written to be dislike able, was likable because of that. 

All the characters have this instant personality you could see through everything they did. And everything they did made me cry and hug the book a lot. 

-Writing and Structure-

This is some of the best prose I have ever read. I've read some gorgeous prose, my favorites being all of Maggie Steifvater, We Were Liars, The Book Thief and Kingfisher, but this book had this completely differnt feel. It was rich and dark, and seasoned with perfectly chosen words and sentences. 

The prose was consistent through the whole book, and as a writer who loves making pretty sentences, I can easily say just how hard this is to do. Nova makes it seem easy. It was really challenging to actually find all the beautiful words. Sometimes overly beautiful writing gets a tad tiring and stressful almost to read, but seeing how slowly I read this, I think it was perfect.

 A lot like a poem, a lot like a smooth, harsh, lovely mess.

The story was put together very well. While I can see how it might be confusing to a lot of people, I found it perfectly put together. The way it is done is that every section if from the POV a differnt girl. And every chapter you gradually learn something that they mentioned in the previous section, and are left wanting answers that can be found in the next section. It's so beautifully put together it makes it impossible to set down. 

The ending was definitely a little bit weird and one you have to read a lot slower to grasp everything that is happening, but it was perfect. I don't think it's for everyone because of the weird ghost aspects, but I really think people should give it a short.

-Messages and Other-

This book has some powerful statements. It deals with mistakes, and how far someone will go to hide those mistakes. It talks about the balance between the lies we have to tell, and when we should face what we've done. It deals with madness and depression, and the danger of little choices one makes.

I could honestly break down this book for pages and pages, but I will refrain. 

I love the way Nova deals with murder and the psychological side of it. I felt so lost and terrified seeing through these characters eyes, caring for them while knowing how wrong they were. This book is anything but preachy, and yet at the end I was left thinking for the rest of the day about mistakes people make and how twisted humanity is. I found myself thinking about things the world does wrong and how much people could change the awful stuff that happens. 

This book really got me thinking. A lot.

The Less Lovely Bits:

I struggle to find anything I didn't like. At all. If anything, I wanted the very last few pages to last a little bit longer. I wanted a few sections to stop dumping the fiery prose and tackle the actual subjects they were about. I wanted maybe less constant questioning of everything.

But really I don't think I would change much about this story. I finished this two days after the Red Queen, which was a good two weeks ago, and I have yet to put it up on my shelf. I am in denial. It was stay put on my bedside desk for a very long time.

Please go buy it. Stroke the cover in the totally non creepy reader way. Take off the jacket. Put it back on. Read the first three sentences. Read them again. Close the book and then finally open it again and read it. Take it slow. It's worth it.



Overall....

Well overall I think it's pretty obvious what I feel about this book. I need 30 copies of it right now.