A #1 New York Times Bestseller An NPR Best Book of 2015A Boston Globe Best Book of 2015A Chicago Public Library Best Teen Fiction of 2015A BookRiot Best Book of 2015A 2016 YALSA Best Book for Young AdultsA Horn Book Fanfare Best Books of 2015A School Library Journal Best Book of 2015A 2015 Edgar Award Nominee for Best Young Adult “With evocative language, a shifting timeline and more than one unreliable narrator, Suma subtly explores the balance of power between the talented and the mediocre, the rich and the poor, the brave and the cowardly . . . To reveal more would be to uncover the bloody heart that beats beneath the floorboards of this urban-legend-tinged tale.” —The New York Times The Walls Around Us is a ghostly story of suspense told in two voices--one still living and one dead. On the outside, there’s Violet, an eighteen-year-old ballerina 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 a girls’ juvenile detention center, there’s Amber, locked up for so long she can’t imagine freedom. Tying these 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?#1 Spring 2015 Kids’ Indie Next List Pick A Junior Library Guild Selection
**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.
