The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness Published by Walker Books on 27 August 2015
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 343
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchase
What if you aren’t the Chosen One?
The one who’s supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death?
What if you’re like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again.
Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week’s end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life.
Even if your best friend is worshipped by mountain lions.
Award-winning writer Patrick Ness’s bold and irreverent novel powerfully reminds us that there are many different types of remarkable.
The Rest of Us Just Live Here is simply brilliant! Well written, going very deep into the coming of age theme, and with a very diverse cast, as well as diversity in other ways as well.
With all the paranormal young adult novels out there, The Rest of Us Just Live Here takes a completely different perspective. It’s like a meta-story of a paranormal novel, because the main characters are ‘just’ the normal people. The ones the usual heroes don’t really care about, because they’re off fighting the vampires or the fae or the dangerous shapeshifters. Here, we get to follow the teens who are aware of the paranormal aspect of their world, but how aren’t really special. They talk about the special kids, and how it must be both exhilarating and scary to be in their shoes. These ‘normal’ kids have their own problems and heartaches, and in some ways their story reads like a contemporary YA, apart from the fact that they know about all the things that go bump in the night.
I found the characters to be very well done, they were diverse in many ways, and they don’t need to be indie kids to be snarky, that’s for sure. And how I loved their snark! Sharing how the indie kids are really present in every school, and how they are always the chosen Ones. Especially when it comes to sacrificing themselves for the greater good of humanity. And because of this snark, as well as the ever present other in The Rest of Us Just Live Here, I fell completely both for the story, the plot and the characters. And Mikey is the perfect character to share this story with the readers, too. He’s mostly a normal teenager, lusting after one of his friends, trying to do well in school, and hoping his prom will be fun.
Refreshing, fun and quite fast-paced, this story appealed to me in every way, and made me want to try more books by Ness in the future. Written from Mikey’s perspective, in first and third person point of view, with so many witty dialogues and back and forth comments between the friends I have highlighted half the book, I was pretty much mesmerized from start to finish.
“Your stomach isn’t the boss of you,” Mel says, evenly.
“Oh,” Jared says, realizing. “Sorry – “
Mel shakes her head, brushing it off. “Not what I meant. Your heart isn’t the boss of you either. Thinks it is. Isn’t. You can always choose. Always.”
“You can’t choose not to feel,” Henna says.
“But you can choose how to act.”
The wind picks up a little more (Terribly sorry, I imagine it saying; apparently, the wind is British, wondering how it got all the way over here) and Henna has to snap her hand down on a page of an assignment that’s threatening to fly away. “Why do we even have paper any more?”
Which is when one of the indie kids comes running out of the treeline, his old-timey jacket flapping out behind him. He pushes his fashionably black-rimmed glasses back on his nose and runs about twenty feet from where we’re all tumbled together. He doesn’t see us – the indie kids never really see us, not even when we’re sitting next to them in class – just crosses the Field and disappears into the opposite treeline, which we all know only leads to deeper forest.
About Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms
Linda is an English as foreign language teacher and has a Master's degree in English Language and Literature. She's an avid reader, blogger, compulsive one-clicker and a genre omnivore. Ever since she learnt how to read she has been seen with a book or two in her hands everywhere she goes.
This was one of my favorites from last year. I LOVED this book. And the chapter with the therapy? Cried. Cried like a baby. I love the positive messages in this novel.
I know! It was so well done, and I loved how the emphasis on physical vs psychological ‘hurt’ was made to be similar, and both needed treatment.
Oh this one sounds quite interesting and it’s nice to have something different like that! You made me curious!
It was awesome, Melliane!
I love it when authors flip familiar tropes on their head! It just opens up a narrative completely as a result!
I agree, it just makes everything more interesting and new 🙂
This sounds great! I have only read one of two of his books but remember really enjoying his writing. I will need to pick this one up. Great review!
It’s so original, Carole, and it was fun to see what the ‘normal’ kids thought of the paranormal kids – as if it was all natural, you know?
Twitter: bmreviewsohmy
Sounds kind of interesting.
It really was, Stormi 🙂
One of my favorite reads from last year! 😀 Glad you loved it as well!
It was so well done, and it gave such a different perspective 🙂
I still need to read this!!! I’m glad that you enjoyed it so much though. I just really love the premise – so unique and different, but it’s still kind of a contemporary novel (and those are often my fave).
I agree, the premise is amazing, and it is really well executed, too. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did, Lauren.
I’ve only read one Patrick Ness book so far (A Monster Calls) but I LOVED it and instantly added ALL of his books to my tbr shelf – including this one. Now you’ve made me want to read this NOW because it sounds even more phenomenal to me than it did before 😀 I love that it’s fast-paced, emotional and so much fun! Sounds perfect to me! Great review my friend ♥
It was my first Ness book, and I’ll definitely read more of his books, too, Micheline 🙂 It was great! I hope you’ll be able to read it soon 😉
Twitter: kbaby81
I’ve been thinking of grabbing this from the library. Definitely will be reading this soon.
You should run out and get it right now, Lekeisha 😉
I remember seeing this awhile back and think it sounds like such a great twist on the same ol storyline and characters.
That’s exactly it, Christy. A twist on the storyline, and a completely different perspective 🙂
I wish I liked YA more but every time I stumble upon a great review like this I forward it to the mom of a new reader (we got her daughter into YA PNR and Contemp). I have a feeling this will end up on her bookshelf.
YA is not for everyone, but I’m glad you know someone you can push some books towards 😉 I hope your friend will pick this up, because it’s really an excellent story, Felicia!
This book always sounds like it would be fun. I love the idea of following some “normal” kids living their lives while crazy things are going on in the background.
It was great, Samantha, especially because the ‘normal kids’ knew all about the paranormal kids 🙂
I’m glad this was such a good read, Lex. I was eager to see what you thought when I saw it on your StS post. It sounds so interesting…and yet there’s nothing that ‘extraordinary’ about the characters?!? I’ll have to make sure to put a hold on this one at my library. 🙂 Great review! *BIG HUGS*
I think that just goes to show that all characters can be extraordinary, even when they are ordinary 🙂 *BIG HUGS*
I’ve got two of his books and still to read them, this one caught my eye too but I have not read yet mainly because I have read mixed reviews. But you have made this sound really good, thanks for sharing!
I need to get more of his books, because this was outstanding, Heather!