The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness
In a reality where the supernatural exists, and the "indie kids" are constantly saving the world, what is everyone else doing? This book puts the heroics in the background, and focuses on a group of friends who just happen to go to the same school. There are moments when you can see the impact that body-snatching beings would have on a whole community, but for the most part, it's just a normal story about a mostly normal (but not without their own issues) group of friends.
The premise of the book was interesting to me, as I have never read another book like it, but the story fell flat. There's a reason fantasy books focus on the supernatural, and not what's going on in the background. I wasn't drawn to any of the characters, and I felt most of their problems were a little contrived. There was a little too much teen angst for my liking.
There was one shining moment in the midst of all the mundane. Mikey, the narrator, suffers from OCD and in one scene he speaks to a therapist. The healthy attitude about mental illness was almost worth my disinterest in the rest of the book. Overall, I was excited to read something different, and it turned out not being that different at all.
No comments:
Post a Comment