Museum of Us by Tara Wilson Redd

Museum of Us

by Tara Wilson Redd

An intoxicating debut novel that will leave you questioning what is real and why we escape into fantasy, perfect for fans of Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer and Falling into Place by Amy Zhang.

Secrets are con artists: they trick you into letting them out.

Sadie loves her rocker boyfriend Henry and her running partner and best friend Lucie, but no one can measure up to her truest love and hero, the dazzling and passionate George. George, her secret.

When something goes wrong and Sadie is taken to the hospital calling out for George, her hidden life may be exposed. Now she must confront the truth of the past, and protect a world she is terrified to lose.

"A teen learns to use her rich interior world to fight trauma, but is this the only way out? This honest, heartfelt tale is deep and mysterious as imagination itself." --Judy Blundell, author of What I Saw and How I Lied and Strings Attached

"You'll inhale as you skid into the first chapter and only exhale as you cling to the last. A beautiful book about longing and loss . . . and what is real." --Teresa Toten, author of The Hero of Room 13B, winner of the Governor General Award, and Beware That Girl

Reviewed by Sam@WLABB on

4 of 5 stars

Share
Rating: 3.5 Stars

Sadie and George have been on amazing adventures, and he was always there for her when she needed him. However, George was not real. He only existed in her imagination, and Sadie was struggling more and more with being present in the real world and escaping it with George.

After a car accident landed her in the hospital, Sadie was forced to confront her issues, and had to choose between George and living in the real world.

This was a really interesting exploration of mental health. Though Redd never comes out with an official diagnosis, I was well aware that Sadie was dealing with some form of mental illness. That was part of the mystery in this book, which was never fully revealed, but I was also curious about the root cause of Sadie's behavior.

Redd alternates between past and present, real world and Sadie's imaginary world, as she slowly reveals the point where George first manifested and why. The whole process was sometimes odd, but oddly interesting, and I found myself wanting to know more and more with every page, because it was obvious something was off with Sadie. Every important person in her life seemed to know there was something wrong, but Sadie constantly evaded their probing, and worked harder to keep that part of herself hidden.

This was a beautifully written and honest portrayal of one woman's struggle with trauma from her past and the choice to move forward and heal or keep it hidden away forever.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 6 October, 2018: Finished reading
  • 6 October, 2018: Reviewed