Early Review – We Were Restless Things by Cole Nagamatsu (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy/Magical Realism
Length: 416 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: October 6, 2020
ISBN-13 : 978-1728216591
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: eGalley from Edelweiss
Rating: 4/5 stars
“Last summer, Link Miller drowned on dry land in the woods, miles away from the nearest body of water. His death was ruled a strange accident, and in the months since, his friends and family have struggled to make sense of it. But Link’s close friend Noemi Amato knows the truth: Link drowned in an impossible lake that only she can find. And what’s more, someone claiming to be Link has been contacting her, warning Noemi to stay out of the forest.
As these secrets become too heavy for Noemi to shoulder on her own, she turns to Jonas, her new housemate, and Amberlyn, Link’s younger sister. All three are trying to find their place―and together, they start to unravel the truth: about themselves, about the world, and about what happened to Link.
Unfolding over a year and told through multiple POVs and a dream journal, We Were Restless Things explores the ways society shapes our reality, how we can learn to love ourselves and others, and the incredible power of our own desires.”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got a copy of this book through Edelweiss to review.
Story (4/5): I liked this and can understand why people are comparing it to Maggie Stiefvater’s books, the writing style is fairly similar. This book has some magical realism in it but really focuses on a group of teens trying to navigate a variety of tragedies, while coming of age in a mysterious, small town in Minnesota.
The story switches POV mainly between 3 characters (Noemi , Amberlyn, Jonas)…although we occasionally hear from a couple other characters as well. We follow them as they try to navigate high school, the death of their friend Link, and the strange mysterious lake that occasionally appears in the woods near town. This is interspersed with excerpts from Noemi’s dream journal and portions of the texts Noemi is exchanging with an unknown contact that claims to be Link’s ghost.
The story is beautifully written with excellent imagery but it is very meandering. The whole book really isn’t about solving Link’s death or figuring out the mysterious lake, but the journey our characters take personally. That being said, the mysteries presented are resolved nicely.
Characters (3/5): I felt like all the characters were fairly distant and didn’t really engage with them all that well. There is a lot about sexuality (not sex really but more identity) discussed as well; a couple characters discover they are gay and one character explores the fact that she is asexual. Despite their distance from the reader the characters were still intriguing to read about.
Setting (4/5): Being a native Minnesotan, I love the Minnesota setting. The author does such a great job describing the winters and forest settings! The mysterious forest the character ventures in and out of is very atmospheric.
Writing Style (4/5): The writing is very beautiful and has excellent imagery; you really feel and see what the characters are going through. It is a very wandering writing style. We drift in and out of these characters’ lives and the story has very little to drive it forward, this is more about accompanying these characters through their lives than solving a mystery. Those who enjoy a well structured story with a clear/linear plot will probably dislike this. It does remind me a lot of Stiefvater’s writing style but is less polished.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I ended up liking this a lot. It’s very lyrical and poetic, and was a nice departure from your standard YA paranormal read. It could have been a bit less meandering and a bit more polished, but I enjoyed the lush imagery and the quiet wandering quality to the story. I loved the magical realism elements and the way everything was resolved.
