The Rest of Us Just Live Here

by Patrick Ness

[Sam@WLABB]

I liked this book. It was odd, but I liked this book. There are two concurrent stories being told, which offer that contrast between being the "savior" and being one of the "rest".

The story centers around a diverse group of friends at the end of their senior year of high school. They are dealing with all the impending changes, while dealing with some pre-existing personal issues (eating disorders, OCD/anxiety, alcoholic parents, strict conservative parents, LGBTQ+). At the same time, there is a new wave of strange events, which is claiming the lives of indie kids, and they must work to save the world...again.

I liked the structure of the novel. Each chapter began with a little bit of the indie kids story as they work to "save the world", then it continues, in Mikey's voice, as he recounts the events in his world. The juxtaposition served the title well, and added an interesting layer to the story.

Mikey was quite special. He suffered from OCD and anxiety. He worried about everything, but mostly, he worried about the people he loved. His heart was huge! It was commendable the way Ness dealt with the mental health issues. The characters struggled with their illnesses, but they knew, in their hearts, that they could overcome these issues, and that they were not defined by their illnesses.

This book had so many elements. Witty dialogue, quirky characters, issues -- real issues. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop. I was very invested in the outcome for the characters. However, I still thought the story was odd. Not bad, odd, and I really enjoyed this book.