The Walls Around Us

by Nova Ren Suma

In prose that sings from line to line, Nova Ren Suma tells a supernatural tale of guilt and of innocence, and of what happens when one is mistaken for the other.

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 the Aurora Hills juvenile detention center, there’s Amber, locked up for so long she can’t imagine freedom.

Tying their two worlds together is Orianna, who holds the key to unlocking all the girls’ darkest mysteries . . .

What really happened on the night Orianna stepped between Violet and her tormentors? What really happened on two strange nights at Aurora Hills? Will Amber and Violet and Orianna ever get the justice they deserve—in this life or in another one?


“A suspenseful tour de force, a ghost story of the best sort, the kind that creeps into your soul and haunts you.” —Libba Bray, author of The Diviners and A Great and Terrible Beauty

• ISBN13: 9781616203726
• Publish Date: 24 March 2015 (first published 12 December 2014)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 17 July 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Algonquin Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[inlibrisveritas]

Holy hell, this was one serious mind-fuck…excuse my oh so eloquent vocabulary.

The Walls Around Us takes the theme of screwy plot lines and unreliable narrators that is looming large over the adult market and brings it to YA…but adds some little unique twists that leave this book with a rather dark, twisted and haunting vibe. The plot itself can be a bit hard to follow if you’re not paying close enough attention, and more than once I had to replay a section because it could switch so quickly that I’d be left sputtering and unsure of what I just heard. It’s also one of those books where I wouldn’t dream of telling you too much of the plot for fear of revealing something that would best be revealed in its own time, so unfortunately he details of what I thought of the people will be scant because I’d give too much away. However I loved the prose and the way this one flowed, and it worked well with the content; making it more lyrical than purple. I also really liked the choice of point of views in this one. We have Violet, a dancer and friend of Orianna, and we have Amber the girl inside the detention center that Orianna becomes the room mate of. We learn bits and pieces about who Orianna was and what she did through them, but most of the focus is on the girls themselves and through their self reflection we find out even more about the mystery. I honestly don’t know that I ‘liked’ any of the characters, though there are some I definitely respected more than others.

This is certainly not a book for those who don’t like weird, and if you don’t dig books that lead you deep into lies and twist you around so fast you’re head will spin then you might want to skip this one. The story is also a bit depressing, full of girls who are out of hope and far from innocent. Girls who have been put away for theft, murder, and being a little bit too far over the line of insane. But as someone who totally loves when a book floors me with as much crazy as possible, this was perfect!

The narrators knocked it out of the park. At first I was a bit put off at the voice of the one portraying Violet, but about have way through I thought her tone was perfect for a girl so determined and driven. It’s precise and un-rushed, just like the girl herself. But I really impressed with the Amber point of views because she not only did a great job reading, but she added in a host of different accents and voices for the other inmates and officers. They also have very different tones and cadences that really set them a part.

For me this is one to own, I have an audiobook copy but I need a hardcover as soon as possible. It’s just too good to not have a copy on my shelves.

Not for me. At all.

[Katie King]

**I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

**3.5 stars**

I'm having a really hard time with this review. On one hand, I loved Suma's Imaginary Girls, and this was similar in premise and ending. Both books felt very airy, with lots of flowery, descriptive writing and perspective switches and the overwhelming feeling that the narrator just isn't quite right. Ori's POV was very creepy and well-written. It felt like I was reading Black Swan in teenager form. All really great.

However, in a way, that sort of falls flat here. I wanted to know more about what happened, both in the past, and at the end. It felt like there were too many jumps in narration, in time and between people, to get a good handle on what exactly went down. Not to spoil the plot but how did the mistake happen in the first place? Why Ori? And wtf was up with the ending? Flowery writing is good to an extent, but I would've really enjoyed more concrete details. Maybe Suma just sat down and wrote whatever with no real plan, because that's sort of how this book comes across. Without delving into specifics, she avoids confronting any plotholes or errors someone might point out. Nonetheless, I still mostly enjoyed the story, and I will still be looking forward to her future works.

Tarte

[Nicole Lynn]

3.5 stars...Review to come!!!

[Stephanie]

I'm confused and then I am not. Whatwhatwhatwhatwhat.

[shannonmiz]

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 being


• 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.

*Copy provided in exchange for review*
This review was originally posted on It Starts at Midnight