The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma Published by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill on March 24th 2015
Pages: 336
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley
“Ori’s dead because of what happened out behind the theater, in the tunnel made out of trees. She’s dead because she got sent to that place upstate, locked up with those monsters. And she got sent there because of me.”
The Walls Around Us is a ghostly story of suspense told in two voices—one still living and one long dead. 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 a girls’ juvenile detention center, there’s Amber, locked up for so long she can’t imagine freedom. Tying these two worlds together is Orianna, who holds the key to unlocking all the girls’ darkest mysteries.
We hear Amber’s story and Violet’s, and through them Orianna’s, first from one angle, then from another, until gradually we begin to get the whole picture—which is not necessarily the one that either Amber or Violet wants us to see.
Nova Ren Suma tells a supernatural tale of guilt and innocence, and what happens when one is mistaken for the other.
I have a confession: I don’t know if I completely understand what happened in this book. I have asked people who’ve read it, and they assured me that I wasn’t missing something, so… I guess I am just underwhelmed?
Let’s back up a bit. This story is told from dual POVs: Amber’s and Violet’s. Amber is a girl who is in a juvenile detention facility, and Violet is a Juilliard-level ballerina who comes from a well-to-do family. What connects them? Orianna. Orianna was in both Amber and Violet’s lives at one time, and quite a bit of the story revolves around her and how she came to be of importance to them both.
I was very drawn to the story initially, because the writing is quite lovely and I was really curious to see where the book would go. These characters are very clearly from different worlds, so I was anxious to find out how Orianna connected to them both. The thing is, the book didn’t go far, and where it did go was kind of weird.
The Good:
- I enjoyed the writing. It flowed nicely, and was easy to read while still having an almost lyrical quality.
- The story and the characters were thought provoking. Morality isn’t black and white, and this book showcased that for sure. Is it always wrong to commit a crime? Are people ever completely innocent or completely guilty? Likely, the answer is no, but society forces us to see it as such.
- The characters, especially the ones in the detention facility, are really complex. From the outside, it is easier to think of them as guilty, and maybe they are. But getting an inside look into the prison, they become girls instead of inmates. It’s quite moving. As for Violet, I flat out did not like her from the beginning, but she was still very well written. I think it takes a great deal of talent as an author to write a character that is wholly unlikable, yet the reader can still appreciate her narrative.
- There was an air of mystery around Orianna. I assumed that she was a certain kind of person, and I suppose that I was correct. But I was certainly curious to find out if my hunches were correct.
The Not So Good:
- Not a whole lot happened. Listen, I am not a stickler for a fast plot. I am usually fine with some meandering, as long as I am at least connecting to the characters, or gaining insight into some other aspect of the story. But this just kind of meandered and I didn’t feel anything at all.
- The supernatural stuff was really my biggest fault with the book. The ghostly narration, while at times confusing, wasn’t a complete deal breaker, though it did kind of take away a lot of the mystery for me. I think it might have worked better not knowing who the ghost was. But really, the biggest confusion I had was with the end of the book. I simply didn’t understand it, nor did it make any sense to me. I suppose to some people it will, but for me, it didn’t fit with the book itself, and made me kind of wonder why I’d read this long, meandering story just to get to a really strange and unfulfilling end. Don’t get me wrong, questions are answered along the way. It isn’t that kind of situation. The ending itself just seemed to pop up out of nowhere, and do nothing but confuse and irritate me.
Bottom Line: It’s well written and has a lot of really unique concepts and characters. But if you are looking for an action packed thrill ride, it’d be best to look elsewhere. Still, I am glad I read it and would absolutely consider reading other books from Nova Ren Suma, as her writing and ideas were refreshing.
Have you ever finished a book and wondered “what exactly did I just read?”? If so, do share!
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I’ve never had an experience like this before, the closest would be how I felt while read Allegiant. As soon as it turned to fake science I was like…what?! That whole book left a giant question mark over the whole Divergent series since it basically made the previous books completely pointless.
As for The Walls Around Us, the summary was confusing and I still can’t figure out what I should expect it to be about. Eventually, I’ll read it for myself, but I’ve got a lot of books lined up ahead of it.
Michelle @ Michelle’s Minions
RIGHT!? What the heck was Allegiant!? I think I have mostly blocked it from my mind, for the most part, but UGH that book was such rubbish. Because exactly what you said- what the hell was the point of the series!? (So stabby, it makes me SO stabby- plus, HOW are they going to make that thing into TWO movies?!)
Ah, sorry, off topic! I seriously don’t even know what to tell you to expect! Good writing for sure, some interesting characters, slow moving plot. And some confusion here and there, I’d assume. But if you can figure it out, then by all means, let me know! 😉
I do agree with you about the ending. It was kind of confusing and I also asked myself “what did I just read?” It took me a while after reading it to decide if I liked it or not. Then I decided that I did. 🙂 I did not have a problem with the plot of the story. I felt like it was engaging the whole time. I am sorry you didn’t like it more.
I just… wasn’t engaged I guess. Well, to an extent I was, with the characters. And the confusion kind of spurred the reading on, really. But in the end, I just wished I had more clarity.
Quote:
Have you ever finished a book and wondered “what exactly did I just read?”?
I’m still not sure what to make of More Than This. I really liked the first section. I also liked the second, though it was less intriguing of course. But in the end, with all that happens and unhappens to Seth (so to speak…I don’t want to spoil the book for those who haven’t read it yet), it seems that he’s not even real in his own book, if you know what I mean. To me, the message this story wants to deliver is not enough to make amends for it.
As for The Walls Around Us, I’m still curious about it, but your review set my expectations a tad lower.
I agree about More Than This! I liked the book overall, because I am a HUGE fan of Patrick Ness, but I feel the exact same way you did! This was similar to that! Not in exactly what happened of course, but in that feeling!
I still think a lot of people WILL enjoy this book, it is so beautifully written, and has a very interesting message. So I do hope you enjoy it 🙂
I’ve really been looking forward to this one. It sucks that it left you feeling underwhelmed though. I’ll probably still read it, but I won’t be expecting an action packed thrill ride. Great review!
Thanks! I think it is definitely still a decent book, and I am VERY glad I was introduced to the author. I hope you enjoy it!
On one hand, I like that the book is thought provoking, but on the other hand, I’m not feeling any rush to read it… I guess I must have experienced the “what did I just read” feeling but sorry, no book comes to mind just now 😉
Yeah, that is kind of the way I’d view it too- it isn’t one I would tell people they HAVE to read ASAP, but still decent!
Ah plot pantsing is kind of a drag BUT I feel like characters can make or break a story and as long as the characters were on point, I’d consider that a success in itself!
Yes, absolutely, the characters were (mostly) a success. There was one I would have liked more elaboration on, but alas, I didn’t get it. But yeah, it definitely had positives!
I’ve read her 17 & Gone, which was pretty crazy and you had no idea whether what you were reading was the truth or imagination/delusion, so it was pretty fun, and I loved the writing (she is awesome, just saying).I’d probably love this for the questions it raises (and seriously, I love books that question morality and delve into grey areas. Buuut, I don’t think I can go through all of that and not get the pay off ending, especially if others didn’t get it either, confused now. I still want to read it just to see but It reminds me of The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff, in terms of the don’t understand the ending thing, it’s exactly the same, and one of my friends read it last week and didn’t get it either. So I really don’t want another one of them. 🙁
I really do want to read more of her work, she is incredibly talented, I just don’t think this was a good one for me to start with. And it wasn’t BAD, it just left me kind of.. let down a bit, I suppose.
Hmmm … sound interesting, but I don’t think I could handle the meandering plot and the unfulfilling finish. I just recently read a book that I loved up until the end. And then it ended, and I was like, “Wait, what? That’s it?” Very disappointing.
YES what is it with those books!? I cannot stand that. Because you feel almost cheated, and no one likes that feeling!
I know exactly what you mean about wondering what the heck just happened in a book. The most recent example I have of this is Bomb by Sarah Mussi. i got it on NetGalley on RtoR, but have no idea what happened or what the point was. That said, I’m curious to read this as your review mad me wonder what I’d think.
I wonder what you’d think too! I mean, I am curious to read everyone’s reviews about this, because hey, maybe everyone else thinks it’s great and I am the black sheep! I have to go look up Bomb now, I am curious 😉
Your insight is echoed in many reviews that I read about this book – good writing, well-written characters, yet the slow pace and nonexistence of the plot makes one quite disengaged. This makes me very hesitant to pick it up, to be honest. Even my co-blogger didn’t like it taht much :/
Oh my. Well, on one hand, I am glad I am not alone (I was a bit afraid I’d be the black sheep in this situation!) but I am sad that others didn’t enjoy it either. It certainly wasn’t BAD, but it wasn’t something I’d rush to recommend either.
I CAN’T BELIEVE I FORGOT YOU REVIEWED THIS. Because that ending. No one will ever know what’s going on in that end.