If you like: humor, exploration of mental illness, Ned Vizzini, YA, John Green, Buffy.
In a world of zombies, aliens, and cat gods, Mike and his friends are just trying to get through high school. The Rest of Us Just Live Here takes the camera usually focused on the action of Buffy or the whole Teen Wolf crew, and jolts it away to focus on the kids in the background. Yeah, another girl at their high school found a magic amulet that will only lead to death and destruction, but Mike really wants to get his OCD under control and finally kiss his longtime crush.
What I love about The Rest of Us Just Live Here is that no matter how funny and surreal things get, the story is rooted in something substantial.
There’s a wonderful contrast in the way Ness builds this story. The cool indie kids—the Buffy equivalents at their school—are trying to save the world and navigate love pentagons. Ness devotes a quick update on them at the beginning of every chapter, a flash of a dramatic, trope-y plot point we’ve all seen a hundred times, before we get back to the main characters. And yes, maybe Mike’s mental illness and his sister’s recovery from an eating disorder are far from being unique, but they don’t have a world to save. Only themselves.
One of my favorite parts of The Rest of Us Just Live Here is Mike’s relationship with his sister and their two best friends. Things are messy between them, changing the way things do senior year of high school, but they still have a web of love that keeps them together. Their support comes in small, quiet moments that are seemingly insignificant, but it makes all the difference.
Ness doesn’t glamorize the struggles of his characters. Things like mental illness and eating disorders are never things that can be solved, or neatly wrapped up at the end of a book. They have to wake up every day and try, even when it gets bad, and that’s the most important choice a person can make for themselves.
As Mike’s best friend Jared tells him: “Not everyone has to be the Chosen One. Not everyone has to be the guy who saves the world. Most people just have to live their lives the best they can, doing the things that are great for them, having great friends, trying to make their lives better, loving people properly. All the while knowing that the world makes no sense but trying to find a way to be happy, anyway.”
The Rest of Us Just Live Here is a quick read, but sticks with you a long time after finishing the last page. Ness writes with an equal balance of wit and wisdom: things that will make you laugh out loud then grasp at your chest. If your name isn’t Satchel (or Finn or an equally indie kid name), then you should check this book out.
"The Rest of Us Just Live Here" by Patrick Ness; HarperCollins Publishers; Sept. 2016.
Annie, thanks for your suggestions. I have been a little reluctant to enter into The Total GoodReads Experience, but now (gulp!) I will go ahead and take the plunge. I'm with you, the less typing the better. I don't usually read on my phone - except when I am checking my "wanted" lists at the bookstore, library, or comic shop.
I did get the subtext for the image, and it was not a stretch! It was fun. I'll add to the interpretation: the Superman Lego is off-center, just as the larger-than-life heroes are mostly off to the side (apparently) in the book's narrative.
P.S. That would be a good t-shirt: "I've been Venned!"
Also, did you get the artistic subtext of the banner above? Superman as a symbol of the Chosen One, yet as a toy, it evokes the irony of Ness' story.
OK, that's a stretch, but this is one where I couldn't get a cover so used stock art. This is probably the most artistic interpretation I've done so far.
Hey Steve, I did tell Dad that if we were to make a Venn diagram of all the books we've reviewed so far, you would be in the center. You're kind of our ideal reader, so I'm looking into your suggestions.
The author/publisher information has run into a glitch we need to solve (Although are you reading on mobile? Because I've noticed all of the text looks bigger on my phone).
As for the book covers, only some of the covers are available and it would drive me crazy if it was inconsistent. BUT I'm glad you brought up needing a memory device for the bookstore.
At the end of every review is a link to the book on Goodreads.…
Dear Kelley Sisters,
Greetings! I'm really enjoying this new venture of yours. The only downside is that I want to read all the books you've reviewed, and that is a complicated undertaking. Now, thanks to you both, I have five new books to read. How will I manage sixty? Still, my conundrum is a tribute to both of you - to your literary skills and your powers of persuasion, as well. As I wrestle with this dilemma, I'd like to make a few minor suggestions. I think the bibliographic information under each banner photo should be more prominent. The tiny type seems to diminish important facts. Also, I would like it if you could post a cover grab with eac…