The Walls Around Us

Obviously because I chose to read this book, I was hoping to like it and I tried hard to. That is where my anxiety began because you should never have to *try* to like a book. You either like it, or you don't. And if you don't, then you should put the thing down, which I did not do. I am not sure why. I suppose because the reviews mostly raved about it, I wanted to try and hang on, thinking maybe it got better. It never did.The cover insists I would not be able to put the book down. It took me weeks to read because each chapter was excruciating.First off, was there anything I liked about it? Actually... no. I really am trying to consider and literally nothing good pops out at me.So here are the things that bothered me the most:- I felt I was promised a ghost story, something haunting and interesting. It was not any of those things. Now, it was not like I was expecting blood and gore, jump scares, or something truly frightening. But I wanted... *something*. There was literally nothing haunting about this story. The most "ghost-y" part of the entire book was the end and it made absolutely no sense. Maybe it would have if it was written well, but it was not. I do not mind books that are a little confusing, causing you to really think. But this was not the good kind of confusing. This sort of not understanding was due to very poor writing.- The idea of the story was not horrible, again it was just very poorly executed and written. The timeline jumping was not done well, the ending was stupid and confusing.- Not one character was likable. Not one. I do not get Amber's point to the story. She was not important or significant in any way. She was just Ori's roommate and that somehow made her relevant to the story. For her to be the one to poison everybody made no sense whatsoever. She was just a pointless character yet took up half the book. I hated Violet, and again, not in a good way. You know when you are supposed to hate a character but you enjoy hating them or you hate to love them? That is good writing. But this, Violet, she was just so unlikeable in any way, shape, or form. She is a terrible person and written terribly but then at some point you are meant to feel bad for her, but you simply don't because she's that obnoxious. And Ori was the biggest disappointment. The entire story is supposed to exist because of this supposedly incredible, life-altering girl. The whole book talks about her for some stupid reason, and when you finally get to know her she's the equivalent to flour, just like Amber. The author tries so hard yet not at all to get the reader to be awed by Ori, but as I am reading I am just thinking, "Gosh you are the most boring person ever." And somehow Amber is completely in love and entranced by Ori immediately. Each character is shallow, with zero depth to them. Each is completely boring and have nothing to offer the story.- In short to a lot of the above, the writer tells you (poorly at that) instead of showing you.- This is minor but still annoyed me. I hated the dumb pop culture references. When you are an author, writing a particular genre, you need to stick to the atmosphere you are trying to create for the reader. I found it very obnoxious that the author is trying to give you this moody story, then out of no where she'll throw in a Beyonce reference. I think she spoke about Beyonce twice. It takes you out of the world you are supposed to be imagining and reminds you of the real world. There are genres where references like that work, here it does not. Very poor writing choice... again.I simply do not understand the good reviews on this book. My guess is the people that liked it were a lot younger than me, which I get I suppose. But very rarely do I get anxious reading a book because it is so poorly written. I actually rewrote the entire outline of this story because I hated the one the author created so much. I needed there to be a better story than what I read, so I wrote it. I am not even a writer, it was just bugging me so bad hahaIt is just an awful book and I regret wasting my time on it.

Ahoy there me mateys!This book was lyrical and confusing and a good read. I am not sure where I learned about this book. The story centers around the murder of two fifteen-year-olds. The book switches points of view between two people: 1) Violet, an 18 year old ballet dancer; and 2) Amber, a prisoner in Aurora Hills juvenile detention center. Both points of view discuss among other things, a girl named Orianna.The book is confusing because the plot does not follow a straight timeline and the two girls’ perspectives also contradict each other. I had no real idea of what the premise of the book was and so for most of my read I was trying to figure out what the point was. I mean, I had figured out who dunnit pretty early on. But why we were in the heads of these two particular characters was a little more difficult.That said, I found Amber’s story of juvi prison life and her own reasons for being in there to be extremely interesting. Her perspective gives us a look at life inside the center. I loved everything around the center’s library. Her viewpoint of the other girls at the center is fascinating. The other girls at the center seemed both unique and real. It is quite a complex little microcosm.Violet’s sections seem to be about the relationship that she and Ori had and what that meant to her. While she was not a nice person, her voice was engaging. Having worked with ballerinas before, the dance portion of this book felt very real if overdramatized for the purposes of the novel.This book was not a quick read for me. I had a hard time convincing myself to go forward because of the structuring of the narrative. But the voice of Amber in particular kept drawing me back in. The writing was beautiful in many ways. I wanted to know how everything would tie together. When I eventually got to the ending, it surprised me. I am not sure if I liked it. I am not sure that I didn’t. I am however glad that I finished it. I can’t guarantee that everyone will like this novel. But if you read it, I would love to hear your take on it . . .If you liked this review, see me others on [...]

This is one of the best books I will read all year and probably ever. It's marvelous. One of the best books I've read period. This story follows two girls - two friends (told from both of their POVs), one in a juvenile correction facility, the other living out their dreams of working towards being a ballerina. But it's not that simple as we see in reading the book, following their two very different lives that change on one very distinct night and are forever linked by one very incredible person, one very magical number.This is a mysterious and masterfully woven tale about friends and foes and feathers. Anger and isolation and privilege. Betrayal and coping and power and more coping and oh so much more. It's a fascinating look at what people do for the things they want and cannot have, the perspectives people have and will not see any other way, and the lies we tell, the crimes we commit, and the regrets, the ghosts that haunt us everyday. I say all of that but there's so much that I'm not saying because there's simply so much here to marvel at and I don't want to spoil a single thing.As a writer, I bow down to Nova Ren Suma. This book will make you fall in love with reading, with storytelling, with voice, with the beauty in broken people and strange worlds, with writing all over again. Her words are honest. Raw. Her prose is masterful. I absolutely love the tone of this story, the rhythm of these words, the questions, the revelations...everything. Gave me chills. Simply put, if Nova Ren Suma isn't on your auto-buy list now, she will be after you finish reading this.

I’ve just this moment finished The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma, and I have to write about it.This book, simply, is incredible. It’s haunting and deep, moving and disturbing. Suma lures us into a dark tale of murder, guilt, and justice, gives us more than one unreliable narrator, and fills us with lyrical words, images that just claw at us, and a twisting storyline.I knew this book was going to be good, I just didn’t expect it to be THIS good. Really, it is.Told from the dual perspectives of Amber and Violet, the novel focuses on these two girls and how they’re connected by a third, Orianna Speerling, who’s been imprisoned for murder. Violet is Ori’s best friend from before her arrest, and Amber is her new cellmate. Both narrators are amazingly unreliable; they both draw you in, and right away, we know something’s not quite right with each of them. We know not to trust them. Yet we want to. I particularly wanted to root for Amber.The characterisation is brilliant. Seriously brilliant. I felt like I really knew who each of these girls was. I felt their pain.The lyrical writing was probably my favourite part of this book—though the plot and characters are simply great too! But the writing itself is beautiful. Evocative, pure, and disturbing.The ending? Wow. I was speechless. It was both cathartic and hypnotic, alluring and moving.This is an addictive read, a modern ghost story, a book about friendship, betrayal, and murder. But it is also so much more than that. It speaks deeply to its readers, it grabs our souls and refuses to let go.I’ll definitely be picking up more books by Nova Ren Suma.

Eine Ballerina, eine Gefangene, ein GeheimnisViolet, Amber und Orianna. Zwei sind durch die dritte verbunden, obwohl sie doch so unterschiedlich sind. Violet ist eine aufstrebende Ballerina, die von der großen Karriere träumt und mit jedem Tanzschritt weiter auf sie zusteuert. Mit viel Disziplin und Willen will sie es erreichen und vergisst dabei auf welchen Trümmern sie ihr Leben aufgebaut hat. Ihre Vergangenheit kommt immer näher, auch wenn sie sie noch so weit wegstoßen wollte.Auf der anderen Seite ist da Amber, die in einer Jugendstrafanstalt ihr Leben abzusitzen droht. Der Gefängnisalltag scheint sie zu zerfressen, während sie ihre Runden in der tristlosen Wänden verbringt. Als auf einmal die Zellen nicht mehr verriegelt sind, sieht sie darin die Möglichkeit zu fliehen und es gelingt ihr trotzdem nicht, anders wie ihrer Zimmergenossin.Und dann ist da plötzlich Ori, die ihre Leben zu verbinden scheint. Aber was ist wirklich passiert, als sie sich auf die Seite von Violet gestellt hat und in den Weg ihrer Peiniger? Warum ist Ori in der Anstalt gelandet und was ist dort nur passiert?Was ist die Gerechtigkeit?Nova Ren Suma stellt die Frage nach Gerechtigkeit und bringt sie in einen interessanten Kontext in neues Licht. Der Roman entblättert sich nur lansgam und enthüllt nur Seite für Seite seine Geheimnisse, schwankend zwischen Realität und Traum. Wir streifen durch Vergangenheiten, glückliche Momente und verschwinden doch wieder in fremden Köpfen und wissen nicht, wo oben und unten ist. Manchmal ist man mitten im Gefängnisalltag, sieht diese triste Welt, die sich immer gleich zu bewegen scheint und dazu das Leben von Violet, dass kalt wirkt, seit Ori aus ihrem Leben verschwunden ist. Doch trotzdem schreitet es voran, besser, als es für Violet mit Ori jemals gewesen wäre. Ori, die sich auf die Seite von Violet gestellt. Aber was hat Ori nur getan?Ein Schreibstil, der seinesgleichen suchtIn einer wundervollen Sprache sitzen wir mitten in den Köpfen ihrer Charaktere. Zwischen Perspektiven wechselnd fühlt man sich geradezu mitten in den Gedanken der Personen gefangen, die versuchen zu begreifen oder verdrängen, was wirklich passiert ist. Nimmt Teil am Leben als Ballerina, der Schuld und den Schmerz und der Reue derer, die im Gefängnis sitzen, vielleicht unschuldig und hoffen, irgendwann mal wieder Licht zu sehen. Langsam schleicht sich die Autorin mit wundervollen Sätzen der Wahrheit entgegen. Fast surreal und schier wahnsinnig in der Bildsprache, findet man sich in einer Geschichte wieder, die nicht nur eine Herausforderung für Violet und Amber darstellt, sondern auch für den Leser, der verzweifelnd nach der Wahrheit sucht und sich so sehr wünscht zu erfahren, was mit Ori passiert ist.Man ist geradezu fasziniert wie es der Autorin gelingt so unglaublich intensiv zu schreiben, zu entführen und zu entgleiten, dass man nur noch staunen kann. Nova Ren Sumas Schreibstil ist einfach nur ein wunderschöner Traum in dem sie uns entführt und erst entlässt, wenn wir es zum Ende geschafft haben. Er dringt tief in uns ein, liegt schwer auf unseren Schultern und drückt uns in die Realität.Freundschaften und deren DynamikFast akribisch arbeitet die Autorin sich hinein in die Beweggründe ihrer Charaktere, was sie zu ihren Handlungen zwingt und man nickt nur zu gerne anerkennend. Die Entwicklung der Freundschaft zwischen Ori und Violet beschreibt sie so gefühlvoll und sinnig, dass man sie vor sich sehen kann, dass man ihre Schatten voraussieht. Im zarten Alter von sieben begonnen, schien sie schon immer etwas in sich zu tragen, was nicht sein durfte. Man weiß, wo es begonnen hat, wo es verloren ging und wann die Veränderung begann. Und vor allem, dass der schöne Schein sehr trügen kann. Sei es die raue und kalte Welt des Ballets, die immer wieder auf Disziplin zielt und Können über allem steht. Wo Untergang der Anderen Glück für einen selber bedeutet. Neid ist an der Tagesordnung, Zorn nur zu oft in uns verborgen...Und was ist, wenn es diesen Zorn trifft, gerade die, die du am meisten liebst und dir es schlussendlich trotz allem dient? Fühlst du dich dann schuldig oder nicht? Solltest du es nicht? Fragen über Fragen, die uns immer weiter in die Innensicht der Charaktere treiben, die von den zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen leben, die sie umgeben. Auch, wenn sie nicht immer gut für uns sind.Überraschung bleibt ausManchmal enden sie auch im Chaos und was richtig erscheint ist falsch. Manchmal täuschen wir uns in Menschen und sehen nur das, was wir sehen wollen und strafen uns dafür.Was wirklich geschah mit Ori, wie es Amber im Gefängnis ergeht und was Violet mit ihren Leben macht, weiß man erst am Schluss, wo alle Teile ein großes Bild ergeben. Und man steht da und sieht es an, in seiner Gesamtheit und wünscht sich Gerechtigkeit.Gerechtigkeit, die vielleicht kommt?Wenn man hofft, das Ende haut einen so richtig um, wo man doch so langsam und stetig zu dem Höhepunkt geschritten ist, wird man doch enttäuscht. Es ist simpel, einfach gelöst und vielleicht auch etwas zu abstrus am Ziel vorbeigeschossen, doch trotz allem bleiben die Botschaften dahinter, die einen berühren. Auch wenn die Wahrheit und was Ori wirklich getan hat, einen nicht überraschen kann, sind es doch die Tiefe und die Gefühle, die einen langen Nachhall bewirken. Denn eins ist Nova Ren Suma gelungen, die Entwicklung von einen anfangs braven Mädchen zu einer Gewalttat zu beschreiben. Nicht nur einmal, sondern mehrfach, in berauschend poetischer Weise.Fazit"The Walls Around Us" ist ein surrealler Roman, der fast schon tiefenpsychologisch in die Seele eindringt. Was treibt uns an die Grenze, dass wir ausrasten, und was ist Gerechtigkeit? Fragen über Fragen wirft die Autorin auf und antwortet uns manchmal, manchmal nicht, aber immer in einer großartigen Sprache bis wir die Wahrheit kennen und der Realität ins Auge sehen müssen.

A very vague, jumbled story line that jumps around too much. The ending was ridiculously hard to believe and didn't make all that much sense. The writting and the idea was good but the way the author told it was too confusing and vague. She leaves a lot for the reader to interpret without actually writting what really happens at the end. Unfortunately this book was not for me.