YAL E-Book

Meghan

The Rest of Us Just Live Here written by: Patrick Ness

            Patrick Ness’s young adult novel offers a fascinating story of relatable real life situations intertwined with a supernatural twist.  The story is told from the perspective of Mikey, a seventeen year old boy who spends his days dreaming of his high school graduation right around the corner.  Mikey takes the audience to a place where we can all relate: a high school senior focused on going to prom, leaving his friends for college, and working up the courage to ask his friend, Henna, on a date before she travels to Africa on a mission trip.  The audience also learns as time goes on, of Mikey’s anxious tendencies and how his everyday life is affected by Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.  Mike has help from his best friend Jared, for whom he also harbors some questionable feelings for, as Jared is homosexual.  Along with Jared, Mike’s sister Mel offers a bond and closeness, which the majority of siblings would be jealous of.  As Mike attempts to control his compulsions, Mel focuses on recovering from the debilitating disease of anorexia.  Together they provide the support each other is searching for and are unable to find in their parents.  Unfortunately, Mel and Mike’s parents are rather self-focused and unable to offer much assistance, as their father is a chronic alcoholic and their mother is a somewhat self-absorbed politician focused on her rise to the top of the political system.   While the novel offers rich characterization through the development of many dynamic characters, the audience also becomes entwined in the supernatural world of the chosen people who walk amongst the rest.  The chosen people, or indie kids, serve to fight off a potential apocalypse, whether from zombies, vampires, ghosts, or the undead.  The audience learns that the “normal” teens like Mel and Mike lead a life that is just as fraught and compelling as that of the highly dramatic lives of the chosen people.

            This book is unbelievably powerful, and truly spoke to me personally.  As a teenager, I myself and I’m sure many others found themselves struggling with feelings of uncertainty and anxiety.  I would recommend this book to high school age students as there are so many themes they will find extremely relevant.  Mike’s father makes the difficult decision to go to rehabilitation for his alcoholism, after years of ignoring his present issue.  Mikey also reluctantly decided to visit a therapist again as he feels more and more out of control of his compulsions and negative feelings surrounding them.  He allows the audience to feel his sadness of being a failure and unable to control his urges any longer.  He gives a honest account to his therapist, “…I’ve been getting…stuck.  In loops.  Again.  Like I can’t leave the house unless I lock the door a certain way but I don’t really know what that certain way is or how they are even supposed to be different ways to lock a front door.  It happens a lot when I’m washing myself, too, if I don’t do it in just the right order.  Or if I touch things and count them, I can just get…stuck there.” (p.123)  Mike continues by expressing to his doctor that he has a constant feeling of being a failure and sees the only possible outcome is ending his life.  I particularly enjoyed how this book made medication and therapy positive things, things that not only are helpful but truly necessary to make certain feelings more manageable.  This does not take away from an individual’s strength, but only gives them the tools to help themselves.  I believe this book will help teens tremendously not only understand the inner battles other people may be going through, but may also offer a honest story of how medication and therapy can offer the appropriate assistance for themselves or someone else in need of help.