5/5 stars
The truth was unconfined, unadorned. There was no poetic language to it, no yellow butterflies, no epic floods. There wasn't a town trapped underwater or generations of men with the same name destined to make the same mistakes. The truth was vast enough to drown in.
When I finished this book, and even now anytime I think of it, I feel like I am floating. I feel this pierce in my heart where this book has settled. There are other books, and then there is this book, floating above the clouds, and when I think about it I feel like I am above the clouds as well. I get this sad smile every time I think of it.
My emotions feel scooped out and empty, but at the same time I am overflowing.
Marin left everything of her old life behind and hasn't spoken to anyone she used to know for months, not even her best friend Mabel. But now Mabel is coming to visit her, and Marin will be forced to face the tragedy she was running away from, the loneliness pressing down on her, and the unsaid things that are thick in the air between her and Mabel.
There is a very big difference between 'slow' and 'boring.' Fast-paced books can still be boring. Conversely, slow-paced books can still be insanely compelling and interesting. We Are Okay is one of those books. It is very very very character-driven. (If you can't handle slow-paced and character-focused books, then don't read this one.) Everything was subtle and underplayed and you had to be paying attention to see Marin's changing and development. It was beautiful. And even though it was slow-paced, it was still very suspenseful, because I wanted to find out what had happened to Marin in the past and what was going to happen to her in the future.
This book was so emotional and moving, but it wasn't an in-your-face kind of emotional. Again, you had to pay attention. It was subdued. We Are Okay is an intimate story about one girl's grief, and the loneliness and heartache Marin was feeling was tangible in every line. I could feel her sadness pressing down on myself as I was reading. I complained about how manufactured the emotions in If I Stay felt in my Where She Went review. The emotions in We Are Okay were so so REAL and genuine.
Speaking of real and genuine, all of the characters were so realistic and sincere. If I yanked Marin and Mabel out of this book and into the real world, they would be 100% real and normal. That was how three-dimensional they were. The characters of We Are Okay are probably some of the realest characters I have ever read. They had so many layers and their emotions were not always obvious and they were complicated.
Marin and Mabel's relationship was also complex and multi-layered. I don't want to say too much without possible spoilers, but it didn't go the way I thought it would, and honestly I am glad. It made it so much more touching and emotional that way.
From the beginning of the novel, we as the reader do not know what happened to Marin to make her leave everything behind. As it goes on, Marin is remembering her past and reflecting, and so we see flashbacks and memories and piece together what happened. It is not until the end that the whole story is revealed and it is truly gut-wrenching. I felt so much for Marin and just wanted to hug her and love her forever.
And the ending - the way it ends, how beautiful it was. I cried. A lot. It was a combination of sad tears for Marin's grief and sadness, and happy tears for the hope that this book brings.
The writing, like the emotions, was also subtle, but no less wonderful for it. The sentences were lyrical flowed so easily and kept the pages turning. The writing was achingly honest and perfectly shows Marin's inner turmoil and the grief weighing her down. Here are some gorgeous, heartrending quotes:
We were nostalgic for a time that wasn't yet over.
"I wish you more happiness than can fit in a person."
I have only just learned how to be here. Life is paper-thin and fragile. Any sudden change could rip it wide-open.
When reading this book, it settled softly over my heart and wrapped around it and when I finished it I was so warm. It is a quiet story, but somehow still so loud at the same time. This is not a book that will leave me soon; I know I will be thinking about this book for a long time.
We Are Okay is about grief. It is about that crushing sadness and the impulse to push everyone away, and then the loneliness that comes, pressing from all sides. It is about the need that people have for other people, for relationships and friendships and family. And more than anything, it is about hope, that life does go on and that you can learn to be okay.
I was okay just a moment ago. I will learn how to be okay again.
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