The Walls Around Us

by Nova Ren Suma

Paperback, 2016

Status

Checked out

Genres

Young Adult

All Topics

Fiction

Publication

Algonquin Young Readers (2016), Edition: Reprint, 336 pages

Description

Orianna and Violet are ballet dancers and best friends, but when the ballerinas who have been harassing Violet are murdered, Orianna is accused of the crime and sent to a juvenile detention center where she meets Amber and they experience supernatural events linking the girls together.

User reviews

LibraryThing member CatherineHsu

Actual Rating: 5!

Whew, I really gotta catch my breath about this one. It was such a twisting and winding road - even confusing at times - but I can't deny how amazing the writing style and story is.

I'd read 17 & Gone by Nova Ren Suma last year and honestly, had absolutely NO idea what to expect or

who she was. I do remember loving the book, and imagine my surprise when I found out The Walls Around Us was by the same author!

It was somewhat of a cross between a psychological thriller and a paranormal mystery, and the line between what's real and what's not definitely blurs into one another, keeping the reader on their toes to find out what the story is about. There are definite themes that can be applied to real life: Suma does extremely well portraying the poison of jealousy and anger, as well expressing the transition from an absolute feeling of hopelessness to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

The Walls Around Us is written in dual perspective (which I normally don't like, but Suma made it work), with one perspective from Amber, a girl in the Aurora Hills Juvenile Detention Center, and the other from Violet, an aspiring dancer. I loved both, I really did, but I have to admit that Amber's perspective appealed to me more because it had more of the dark atmosphere and suspense. I did really like Violet's perspective near the end, where the truth was being revealed (no spoilers ;) ).

I'm honestly not sure how much I should reveal about this story, since there are so many aspects of this book that you need to read to understand, but The Walls Around Us is definitely a book I would recommend!

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LibraryThing member Brainannex

Be sure to suspend your disbelief at the door and just buy-in to the journey. Much easier that way. Also, very strong writing in an atmospheric way.

LibraryThing member ShannonSweeney

I don't even know where to begin in order to do this book justice, you guys. It's freaking good, in all the ways you would expect it to be and more.

This book comes out on March 24, 2015
(amazon kindle is offering the first seven chapters for FREE right now! See, now there's no good excuse not to

check out this title after you read my review.)

So most of the plot takes place in a juvenile detention center for young women, narrated by Amber, an inmate. In between chapters, we switch to Vee's narrative, a competitive ballet dancer getting ready to head to Julliard to study her craft. And Vee's former best friend Ovi becomes the connecting fiber between the two locations when she enters the detention center after a horrific incident with Vee - an incident we know almost nothing about, except vaguely that someone ended up in jail.

If you think that sounds interesting, just wait - or if you don't, just wait - because guess what? Weird paranormal things happen occasionally. What is going on? No one seems to know, but they're busy thinking about other things anyway, like all the secrets they're keeping deep, deep, down inside.

Much like in the Netflix original series Orange is the New Black, the dynamics among the inmates was so powerful. Granted, the girls all go through the crying period when they first arrive, and they all have more than enough reason to be bitter about their sentences, or a little indignant towards the power-abusing guards. (sound familiar, OitNB fans?) These things bring them together, but it goes much deeper than that. Secret messages, the desire to run away from all that they're going through, the girls seem to genuinely attempt to understand each other. The dynamic here is most consistently reflected by Amber's narration. I noticed that she never says "the others and I" or "the girls and I," to Amber it's always "we" thought this, that thing happened to "us." It caught my eye because I don't know if I've ever seen a protagonist so immersed in the community she feels.

This novel is suspenseful. It's horrifying. It's HEAVILY psychological. It's fast paced, but you'll wish it was longer. I could keep going, but you get the point... it's intricate.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading YA lit, stories about ballet or fine arts, crime novels, or paranormal thrillers. Also just anyone who wants to read a good book. I knocked this one out in just over 24 hours. I'm really pumped to watch this book succeed after it's released!

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LibraryThing member Ginger_reader22

"The Walls Around Us" is a story about three girls and how their paths cross, their mysteries intertwine and their secrets unravel.

Violet's dream is to be a professional ballerina, she has trained and studied for years and in just a few short days she will leave for Julliard.

Amber is in a girls

detention center, surrounded by murderers, thieves and druggies, oh my!

Ori is the girls that ties Vi and Amber's stories together.

Amazon - Barnes and Noble - Book Depository

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I don't want to say too much about this book because I feel like it's the kind of book you have to go into blind.

It's such a good mystery and it's supernatural/ghostly undertone adds a depth to it that you don't see a ton of in the YA genre.

I was a little hesitant when I first started it because it was a little difficult to tell exactly where the timeline of each chapter was taking place but it didn't take long for me to just let go and roll with the punches. I feel like if you try to over think this book and draw a clear timeline you'll drive yourself crazy and end up not finishing it.

One of the thinks I loved about this book was how the divide between reality and fantasy wasn't always black and white but a dark gray.

I feel like if this book were to be turned into a movie the only person who could direct it and make it a worthy adaption would be M. Night Shyamalan.

It's got that eerie, cryptic, spooky factor that makes you want to read it in the middle of the afternoon yet you still find yourself staying up way past midnight to finish it.

This is definitely one of those books that you finish and you immediately feel the need to flip to the first page and read all over again.

I cannot wait to read more from this author and I HIGHLY recommend this book!

Until next time,
Ginger

In compliance with FTC guidelines I am disclosing that this book was given to me for free to review.

My review is my honest opinion.

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LibraryThing member jmchshannon

Violet is the kind of girl who has it all. She has the looks, the talent, and the money to help her achieve all of her hearts’ desires in life. Amber is the exact opposite in every way. Large whereas Violet is petite, lumbering where Violet is graceful, dead where Violet is alive, the two girls

seemingly have nothing in common. Yet, as each tells her story, readers realize that their experiences will unravel the mystery of Ori’s story, a third girl who was poised to become one of life’s success stories until it all came tumbling down around her.

A tale of haves and have nots, The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Sum shows the interplay of class structure as it relates to perception and, more importantly, to justice. Through Violet’s and Amber’s dichotomous stories, the details of Ori’s story become that much more tragic. The supernatural angle that makes up a large portion of the story’s ending is at once unique and intense, but also slightly fanciful given the seriousness of the story; the ending is just too tidy given the story’s subject matter. Thankfully, this will not prove a major detraction from a reader’s overall enjoyment of the novel or distraction from the solemnity of the girls’ lessons. The Walls Around Us is a chilling novel of suspense in which guilt and innocence are not what they seem.

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LibraryThing member aliceoddcabinet

Barely paranormal,utterly engrossing,and an urgency to the narrative that bordered on the vertiginous. This book made me forget what books are supposed to be. After the last page, I sat, stunned for a full minute, my mouth agape.

LibraryThing member Debra_Armbruster

I enjoyed the writing at first, but after a while, the weird, circuitous style began to grate. It's a ghost story, and while the cast of characters are in turns sweet, strange and malevolent, I just cannot get worked up about it.

LibraryThing member aliceoddcabinet

LibraryThing member Debra_Armbruster

LibraryThing member karen813

One of my favorites so far of this year, this is the story of three girls who all have secrets and how those secrets define their lives and futures. It is beautifully written and the storyline comes together perfectly at the end. A great example of how good storytelling can make a book come alive.

LibraryThing member yourotherleft

Orianna "Ori" Speerling is a teenage ballet dancer from the wrong side of the tracks. Her mom left when she was a kid leaving her the daughter of a single dad. Despite her circumstances, she is unarguably the most captivating dancer in her dance school, possessing a natural talent and flair that

cast everyone else in shadow, including her best friend Violet "Vee" Dumont who has the upper class trappings Ori will never have, but can't quite keep up with her friend in sheer talent. Ori is a more loyal friend than Vee deserves, always holding herself back so her friend can keep up. The two share everything. Ori practically lives at Vee's house. That is, until something happens, something that finds Ori in the Aurora Hills Secure Juvenile Detention Center while Vee dances her last high school recital and prepares to leave for Julliard. The rest of the story comes via Ori's cell mate Amber, a presumed innocent victim of the justice system, who has found an unexpected place to belong among the inmates of Aurora Hills.

Without saying too much, let me just say how perfect The Walls Around Us ended up being for this autumn time of year. The story it tells wanders from guilt and crime and grief into the downright eerie, and I loved it. The Walls Around Us is one of those books that, if the "Young Readers" wasn't attached to its publisher's name, it would be difficult to peg as a YA book. Suma doesn't sacrifice complexity or artful prose upon the altar of the book's would-be target audience, something I always appreciate in a well written YA book. Each of her characters are fully actualized from free-spirit Ori, to angry, insecure Violet, to the mild-mannered Amber who brings out the unexpected camaraderie she's found among the fellow inmates of Aurora Hills by narrating her bits with "we" instead of "I."

The Walls Around Us is a beautifully composed, disturbingly rendered picture of the disturbing truth behind a pair of "perfect" ballerinas that goes beyond guilt and innocence to explore the natural and the supernatural. It easily weaves between past and present, knitting together a story that is otherworldly and unexpected keeping readers on the edges of their seats until the truth is out and justice can finally be served.

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LibraryThing member radioactivebookworm

Goodreads Synopsis: “Ori’s dead because of what happened out behind the theater, in the tunnel made out of trees. She’s dead because she got sent to that place upstate, locked up with those monsters. And she got sent there because of me.”

The Walls Around Us is a ghostly story of suspense

told in two voices—one still living and one long dead. 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 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.

We hear Amber’s story and Violet’s, and through them Orianna’s, first from one angle, then from another, until gradually we begin to get the whole picture—which is not necessarily the one that either Amber or Violet wants us to see.

Nova Ren Suma tells a supernatural tale of guilt and innocence, and what happens when one is mistaken for the other.

My Review: I requested this book off of Netgalley because I thought it would be an interesting read. I'm surprised at how haunting this book really is. It's beautiful. The cover is amazing, I love it, and the story kept me hooked from the moment I started reading it. I have a good feeling about this book. I hope it goes amazing places. So basically, it's about three girls. Orianna, Violet, and Amber. Orianna is a girl who was friends with Violet for a long time, and took some risky chances for her, and ended up committing suicide in "Prison". Though there are only two points of view in this book, I feel like I really got to know the character Orianna, and I loved her. I loved all three of them, really. They're such... deep characters. I don't know how to put it. They seem like real people. They have thoughts like real people, not just like someone who's been written to say things. I absolutely loved it. This is an amazing story and I think that a lot of people are going to like it. I finished the book in one sitting, and I'm proud of that. I stayed up extra late to finish it. I needed to finish it, I needed to read more. I'm hooked. I think this might be one of my new favourites and I'm glad I got the chance to read it. Ballet dancers, murder, jail time. That makes for an amazing book. I think that's all I want to say about that, I don't want to spoil it for anyone! Thanks for reading.

(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

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LibraryThing member Isisunit

I would like to thank Algonquin Young Readers & NetGalley for giving me a copy of this e-book to read in exchange for an honest review. Though I received this e-book for free that in no way impacts my review.

Goodreads Teaser: "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?

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."

A shockingly good tale of justice, murder, redemption, and the unknown told through three girls lives. Three very different girls, each from their own walks of life and coming from distinctly unrelated backgrounds.

Though a bit of a climb in the beginning, once you catch the rhythm of the story it weaves its way deeper and deeper under your skin until are unable to put the book down, for some long after their finished reading. Amber is a mix of contradictions, and acts as the narrator for life inside of Aurora Hills. Through her life in juvie is well described, all of the roles that inmates fill painted, but still leaving room for the individual in each role to shape her own story to the extent she is willing to share with her other inmates. But of course what isn't said out loud is spoken in other ways.

Violet, a.k.a. Vee, and Orianna, a.k.a. Ori, have their own story outside of Aurora Hills, which we learn from Vee. She comes from a background of wealth and privilege while Ori comes from the wrong side of the tracks, something that irritates Vee's parents for all the years of their friendship. Although Vee seems to have everything, she lacks self-esteem. That lack combined with her sense of entitlement don't make for the nicest of people. Even when Ori befriends her in their first ballet class Vee finds a way to hold her resentments close. For all though Ori comes from a broken family that lives in the wrong part of town, she is loved by all. Ori possesses an inner glow and beauty that can't be bought or faked. And she is an absolute natural at ballet. While Vee has to work so much harder to be good, when Ori dances she's called transcendent.

As the story unfolds, switching between Amber's and Violet's narratives, we only slowly begin to see what happened. What really happened is a mystery that isn't always answered. The same is true of the unexplainable, almost mystical parts of the story. They work so well within the story, bringing it to a whole different level, yet they also left me with a raft of questions when all was said and done.
If I had to describe this book I'd probably say that it's part reality show, part ghost story, all teenage emotion and reasoning. The fact that there are three main characters and yet it's only told by two of those three makes for an interesting twist. And that is only one of several mind boggling twists and turns the story follows. Just when you think you've grasped an essential truth something else is revealed or concealed, once again leaving you grasping at straws, trying to make sense of all the pieces that create the whole tapestry of this twisted tale. Absolutely worth reading, and highly recommended. It will leave your mind spinning, and Ori, Vee, Amber, and all the other characters of Aurora Hills will stay with you long after you've finished this book.

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LibraryThing member bemislibrary

Murder is nothing to dance around, but the storyline, characters, and plot does just that. Vibrant passages and supernatural aspect provide a unique look at the ugliness of teenage angst. One stepfather, two murders, three teenagers, and four dancers are at the center of this ghostly tale. This

book has something for everyone, but at the same time, it can delight, horrify, or simply lose the reader as the disjointed with the all too real characters fade in and out of the plot.

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LibraryThing member MJB2

Great story told from the perspective of three teenage girls all intertwined together. A good read about how far one goes for friendship and the consequences of jealousy.

LibraryThing member dcoward

This book defies easy categorization - is it mystery, horror, fantasy. There are a few plot points that are unresolved, but if you are interested in a twisty book with lots open to interpretation, you might like this one.

LibraryThing member roses7184

Hmmm... I still don't really know exactly how I feel about this book, and I've been mulling it over for a few hours now. Admittedly, I didn't read the blurb before starting The Walls Around Us. I simply noticed that it had a ton of love thrown at it, plus that I hadn't yet reviewed it as a

NetGalley book, and decided to make it my next read. It's nice to go in with no preconceived notions, and just really let a book sweep me away. This one just didn't do that as easily as I expected it to.

The base story, the story that goes back and forth between the calculating Violet and the slightly lost Amber, was pretty spot on for me. I loved this story of two girls, in such different circumstances, each facing the truth trapped inside themselves. It's tough to imagine such young girls committing any type of atrocities, but Nova Ren Suma weaves this story that makes you feel for them. It makes you understand, even if you don't necessarily forgive.

What lost me, and what I afterwards realized was in the synopsis, was the "ghostly" aspect of this book. It's difficult to explain without spoiling anything, and I absolutely want to leave this vague for anyone still interested in this book, but this portion of the book just felt like it was missing something. I can't put my finger on what, exactly. It was like at some point the book wandered off into the forest, and I lost track of it in the trees. After the first few chapters, I had already figured out the main plot points that were to come. So the "mystery" aspect of this wasn't really there for me. Plus I all but despised Violet. So I didn't care all that much if something terrible were to come her way.

Then there was the ending. Which, although it actually did fit with the book as whole, really felt unsatisfying to me. I was confused at first. Then, after reading through it at second time, I finally understood what had happened. Still, I didn't feel like it was what I wanted. Redemption is great. Revenge is understandable. This, however, was really confusing. I'm sure there are plenty out there who will appreciate the vagueness of it all. I really wanted solid closure though.

So, I'm going to settle this right at 3 stars. If anything, I'm going to say that this book has peaked my interest in terms of Nova Ren Suma as an author. This is the first book of hers that I have read, and now that I see how solidly she can build characters, I'm intrigued so see what else is out there. Rest assured, this all my opinion. As I mentioned above, there is a ton of love for this book and I see a lot of things other people will love. It just wasn't exactly what I was looking for.

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LibraryThing member readingbeader

I'm going to have to come back to this one, I think.

LibraryThing member reader1009

teen fiction. I like the author's writing style ok but wasn't a fan of the whole "ballerinas-with-murder-raps" deal--was definitely darker than I expected it to be, and I wasn't in the mood to continue reading it.

LibraryThing member Susan.Macura

This is a beautifully written book about three girls and how they are related through chance and circumstances. Violet has it all – a rich family, a great education and ballet lessons that make her better than her natural talent allows. Amber is the child of a dysfunctional family where the

stepfather is abusive and her mother simply looks the other way. The stepfather dies in a truck accident and Amber is accused of creating it. She is sent away for life but due to her age, ends up at Aurora Hills, a juvenile detention center. Tying these two characters together is Orianna, and this is where it gets interesting. Suffice to say, it is a great story, one of friendship, justice and some great ghosts! This is one of my favorite books now.

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LibraryThing member JReynolds1959

This story is told by two individuals, one living and one dead. Violet is a ballerina, headed to Juilliard and going places. Amber is in Aurora Hills Juvenile Detention Center after being found guilty of murdering her father.

Intricately woven.

Fewer