Book Review: The Rest Of Us Just Live Here - by Patrick Ness (Four Stars)

I went into this book with high hopes and huge expectations. For me a Patrick Ness novel is always a pleasure to read. Meeting the man in person is considerably more intimidating, so be aware before you go to see him for the first time!

I think that most people reading this book will be a fan of Ness’s writing style and this doesn’t disappoint at all. He knows exactly how to capture the teenage voice and make it applicable to any situation. This is a fantasy novel that is working it’s hardest not to be. And I admire that as a concept. Much as I enjoy a good fantasy novel full of daring deeds and brave people – how many times have I also secretly thought that the hero was an idiot? Many other people have mentioned in their reviews that this novel seems to have been heavily influenced by Buffy and I totally see where that comes from. I always had a soft spot for Xander and I feel like we have his story played out here. In a world that regularly falls apart, where fights can break out at any moment how do you also manage to live a daily teenage life. Being a teenager is already about heightened emotions and everything is intense, seeing the wider picture is hard. I liked the juxtaposition in the novel of the snippets of the ‘Indie Kids’ story line, which were short and punchy and to the point, unlike the general fantasy novel exposition, and the day-to-day lives and actions were drawn out and described in detail.

Instead of pure action this book heavily relies on its cast of characters. Mikey is the main character and watching him interpret and misunderstand the world around him was a pleasure and all too familiar. Even as you are certain that he is missing something you are still just as much in the dark as him.

What I really about Patrick Ness is that you can never have a preconceived notion of what to expect from his writing because he always goes out of his way to surprise you and that is such a joy when so many books just do the same thing. I think everyone who has ever felt on the outside can learn something from this book – just being you is your story, and that’s pretty wonderful.

Writing Prompt: "Describe How The Days Of The Week Taste"

Word Count: 467

Time Taken: 35 minutes

Beta Read: No

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Sour, that was how Friday tasted in her mouth. Normally it was a sweet taste, or alcoholic, to celebrate the fact that the weekend was coming. But this was not a usual Friday, this was the day that she was supposed to be getting married. Two months ago this was going to be the happiest day of her life.

Then that had changed. Nothing dramatic. She hadn’t come home to find Sam in bed with her best friend. He hadn’t left her at the altar. Hadn’t faked his own death to escape marrying her.

No.

He’d poured her a glass of wine and simply said that he couldn’t lie to her any more. That he’d fallen out of love with her. There wasn’t anyone else, but he just thought of her as a friend.

When she’d asked him how long he had felt that way, Sam had admitted that it’d been about a year, but that it was hard to throw away a five year relationship.

And so she hadn’t screamed. Hadn’t let him see her cry. Just accepted what he was saying and then two days later his presence was gone from her flat. All hers now. And when she was home the silence threatened to envelop her like the arms of a new lover. She’d taken to turning the radio on, just to stop the lack of noise from invading her brain. Was also seriously considering some sort of pet.

The days used to be bright. She’d wake up and the sun was this extraordinary yellow. Or the grey of the clouds was so strong that she could only describe them as looking like steel. All of her senses had been heightened. The world had been warm. Every day had a flavour – from fresh citrus on a Monday morning to the dark coffee that kept her going to the gym on a Saturday afternoon.

That stopped.

She didn’t feel warm or cold anymore. Just numb. Everything was fuzzy. Nothing had a distinctive taste, it was just mush. She knew she kept smiling as she had before. Kept telling people that she understood. That she wasn’t angry at Sam. That she’d been feeling a bit bogged down too. That she was going to use this as a chance to take a fresh start.

She didn’t say that she felt numb most of the time. Or even worse, that there were times when everything hit with a hideous clarity and she ached, she burned, and everything was so overwhelming that she just wanted it to stop so she could catch her breath. And after it finally went away, she was thankful that they days of the week had gone back to tasting of nothing – it made it so much harder to track the moments she was alone.

 

***

 

Thank you!

~Belle~

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