Spring Pick 2015

Now that spring is officially over, it's time for me to share my favorite book I read through the spring season. So without further ado, my spring pick...

Spring Pick 2015

The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma

YA Thriller

 

The Summary

On the outside, there's Violet, an eighteen-year-old dancer days away from the life of her dreams when something threatens to expose the shocking truth of her achievement.

On the inside, within the walls of the Aurora Hills juvenile detention center, there's Amber, locked up for so long she can't imagine freedom.

Tying their two worlds together is Orianna, who holds the key to unlocking all the girls' darkest mysteries…

What really happened on the night Orianna stepped between Violet and her tormentors? What really happened on two strange nights at Aurora Hills? Will Amber and Violet and Orianna ever get the justice they deserve—in this life or in another one?

In prose that sings from line to line, Nova Ren Suma tells a supernatural tale of guilt and of innocence, and of what happens when one is mistaken for the other.

– Blurb from Goodreads

The Characters

While their is a diverse cast of characters, the main story focuses on three specific characters - Violet, Amber and Orianna. Each of these three girls is complex, interesting and so very realistic.

Having read a previous book by this author (Imaginary Girls), I will say that Ms. Suma has a gift at getting into her character's heads and making the most raw portraits of humanity. There is something so utterly visceral and sincere about how she crafts her characters that it's easy to get swept up into their heads and the story, in general.

Without giving too much away about these three girls with their intertwined lives, I will say this - they each feel unique unto themselves. You can easily find bits of people whom you know in real life in them. And the best part is they are so beautifully flawed. None of them is perfect by any means, not even seemingly pristine Orianna who is a character I could see as falling into the realm of saccharine with a less skilled author at the helm. Lucky for us, Suma has a strong grasp of character development and human understanding that allows her to not fall into overused tropes or stereotypes.

The Setting

This is a modern day story which primarily takes place at the fictional Aurora Hills juvenile detention center set in the northeast of the United States. The story shifts between the current time and flashbacks that may feel jarring at first, but once you settle into the tone and pace, you can easily follow the slips in and out of conscious.

Overall Opinion

The action of the story is diluted through a lot of info dumping, but it works. In fact this is one of the few stories that I have seen it succeed. There are a lot of shifts in narrative and time via flashbacks and flash-forwards. That's okay - it's supposed to be a bit confusing, a bit ethereal. All will be revealed at the end and what a brilliant reveal it is.

The tone is foreboding and almost dreamy with a lingering sense of dread weighing through the murk. Atmospheric and psychological, it had be hooked from start to end. This is masterful writing and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in reading something a little different.