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dimky's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
stfuveronica's review against another edition
4.0
(book 3/3 for the trans right readaton week 2024)
this book did make me tear up !!
this book did make me tear up !!
delz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I’m going to be honest, this was not the easiest of stories to read because the central theme was dealing with grief. The story begins after Ethan’s death. Ethan was Liam’s brother and Liam is just beginning to make their journey into life after the loss. The book is written in chapters of befores and afters and you don’t really get the entire picture until the end. This was a very good book because it felt honest. You could viscerally feel Liam’s grief.
sweetrosegirl76's review against another edition
3.0
It's not bad, I can tell a lot of heart went into this. I think I expected some closure for me with my own grief, but I don't think it helped. Character went through all 5 stages, acceptance at the end, and it made me realize I was still in my anger/sadness. I didn't think this book was particularly interesting, I preferred They Both Die in the End, and I Wish You All the Best. This is a good book about navigating and living with grief if a bit short, since it ended like 4 months post death. I think I would like a book with snapshots of grief. 1 month later, 3 months, 5 months, 1 year, etc, of what it looks like.
Hard to review this without my own grief clouding my perspective. "I’d keep remembering him. I’d keep him alive with me." Feels like BS to me, like no it doesn't keep them alive, it's just something some ppl say to give another person comfort. It doesn't give me comfort at all. Maybe I'll get there though.
Hard to review this without my own grief clouding my perspective. "I’d keep remembering him. I’d keep him alive with me." Feels like BS to me, like no it doesn't keep them alive, it's just something some ppl say to give another person comfort. It doesn't give me comfort at all. Maybe I'll get there though.
moodle's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
evitaveda's review against another edition
5.0
“Because grief is a complicated, ugly, messy thing. And makes you do complicated, ugly, messy things.
When Liam loses their older brother, Ethan, everything in their life starts feeling like too much. Mason Deaver wrote this book after losing their own father in a similar way and stated in the author’s note that this book won’t be for everyone. This book is for them, but it absolutely worked for me.
Deaver has a way of writing characters that can be simultaneously relatable and unlikeable. Whilst Liam was a good kid most of the time, their grief and stubborn attitude definitely made them do some things that had me going “Liam no!” Absolutely a realistic portrayal of a teenager. The other characters in the story were also complicated and difficult at times. I enjoyed getting to know Ethan through flashbacks. Seeing Liam’s interactions with Joel, Vanessa, Marcus and Liam’s parents also added a lot of interesting aspects to the story.
The Ghosts We Keep is a book about grief, trauma, family, friends, alienating yourself, and, finally, healing. It’s about learning to live after you’ve lost someone who means everything. It’s heartbreaking, raw, and emotional. This may turn out to be “the ONE book to make me cry” this year.
Favourite quotes:
“It’s the worst feeling in the world, to know you’ll never see someone again, and that they’ll never see you.”
“But knowing what you have to do and actually doing what you need to are two different things, two separate worlds.”
When Liam loses their older brother, Ethan, everything in their life starts feeling like too much. Mason Deaver wrote this book after losing their own father in a similar way and stated in the author’s note that this book won’t be for everyone. This book is for them, but it absolutely worked for me.
Deaver has a way of writing characters that can be simultaneously relatable and unlikeable. Whilst Liam was a good kid most of the time, their grief and stubborn attitude definitely made them do some things that had me going “Liam no!” Absolutely a realistic portrayal of a teenager. The other characters in the story were also complicated and difficult at times. I enjoyed getting to know Ethan through flashbacks. Seeing Liam’s interactions with Joel, Vanessa, Marcus and Liam’s parents also added a lot of interesting aspects to the story.
The Ghosts We Keep is a book about grief, trauma, family, friends, alienating yourself, and, finally, healing. It’s about learning to live after you’ve lost someone who means everything. It’s heartbreaking, raw, and emotional. This may turn out to be “the ONE book to make me cry” this year.
Favourite quotes:
“It’s the worst feeling in the world, to know you’ll never see someone again, and that they’ll never see you.”
“But knowing what you have to do and actually doing what you need to are two different things, two separate worlds.”
bethany6788's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Truly, this book was something I absolutely needed to read. I loved reading @mason_deaver’s acknowledgments and author’s note for this book. So much of this book was so relatable to me. As someone who lost their dad at 12 years old, suddenly, with no opportunity to say goodbye, it made me cry. I was able to relate to so much of what Liam was going through. Their struggles were not exactly the same, but some of these lines could have been pulled straight from my brain. And those friends!!! They didn’t even try to understand. I’m glad Liam had Marcus, but even that was a difficult thing for them because their own feelings were wrapped up in it. Their parents really were doing their best.
I really don’t have words to explain what this book means to me. But as a 35 year old adult woman, this is the book I needed when I was 16 years old. Thank you to Mason Deaver for writing such raw and real stories. Grief is universal. And it’s messy. And it’s cathartic. And it’s sad. And it’s hard. I’m gonna go wipe my face now.
I really don’t have words to explain what this book means to me. But as a 35 year old adult woman, this is the book I needed when I was 16 years old. Thank you to Mason Deaver for writing such raw and real stories. Grief is universal. And it’s messy. And it’s cathartic. And it’s sad. And it’s hard. I’m gonna go wipe my face now.
mconant's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
jsncnrd's review against another edition
4.0
Grief is so complex. It touches every aspect of our life. It rips apart our emotions. Our relationships. Our performance at work and school. The ability to enjoy the things we love to do. Our identities.
And The Ghosts We Keep is a book that explores all those aspects through the eyes of a non-binary teenager still reeling from the unsolved hit-and-run that left their brother dead. This story was painful. It hurt to read. It was gut-wrenching. It was raw. It was unfair. But it was also so real.
What broke my heart the most is that The Ghosts We Keep was, in large part, a story of dealing with grief with a microscopic support system. While Liam was hurting, their friends turned their backs on them, their parents were minimally supportive and punished them for the emotions they were feeling, and Marcus (though he had no true obligation to be a support) was hostile and aggressive despite Liam just wanting to help.
Liam had to be strong, and they had to find that strength within themselves as they learned to navigate life without their brother. And not only did Liam lose their brother, they lost their former life. And I think an important part of grief is that we are mourning a past that will no longer be our "normal." The book was incredibly introspective, and the use of flashbacks / the "before" and "after" format really helped emphasize that.
Liam's friends were terrible. And after all was said and done, I was glad they didn't patch things up at the end of the book. Because to me, somehow managing to make things about yourself when a friend has just had their brother killed in an unsolved hit-and-run ... shows what kind of people those "friends" were. Let's offer little to no support to our friend, get quiet whenever our friend comes around, and then get mad when we're called out on it. However, this was a good focus on a different aspect of grief -- the fact that grief is an imposition to some people. When comforting those going through loss, we also need to take time for ourselves. It can be emotionally draining. And that is valid. But when friends shame other people for feeling grief longer than they themselves may feel is necessary, and to make things personal / make it their own narrative -- that is simply you being a jackass.
Honestly, Liam's parents made me mad, as well. Taking away Liam's ability to create music, which was their special form of catharsis, because they were feeling anger -- that upset me. And to threaten Liam with not getting that form of expression back until their grades were back up? While they were struggling with school due in large part to the grief they were feeling? Forcing them to stay home and suffer alone in their room with their painful emotions instead of being in favor of them spending time with friends to help themselves take a break from the ruminating? I would never treat my child like that. And while it's understandable that their parents were also dealing with their own grief, some of that behavior was cruel. Their parents were not understanding. And it made my soul hurt for Liam.
I did see the "twist" coming (not sure if you can call a coming-out revelation a twist), but that added a new layer of complexity to Liam's grief -- moving on with new information and having a million questions come up that you'll never be able to ask someone who's passed away. Because now you're mourning a future that won't ever happen.
It broke my heart that Liam and Marcus never spoke again. When first Liam made a statement to the effect of "we never saw each other again," I thought it was speculation of what may happen -- until I remembered that the book was being told in past tense, and Liam was reliving the events as they happened. I wish they'd have been able to salvage their friendship.
I am glad that we did glimmers of hope at the end of the story. Seeing Liam reconcile with their parents, making new friends, and learning to navigate their life following a tragedy made me so proud of the progress they made as a human.
Overall, I could not put this book down. It demands emotions from the reader, and I felt that I was experiencing grief alongside Liam. It was filled to the brim with sentimental moments, regret, pure anger, and a big dose of melancholia. It was a book that made me feel so many things, and I am so happy I finally picked it up.
Also, Liam had amazing taste in music. Big Thief? Charli XCX? Soccer Mommy? FKA Twigs? Carly Rae Jepsen? A human after my own heart.
And The Ghosts We Keep is a book that explores all those aspects through the eyes of a non-binary teenager still reeling from the unsolved hit-and-run that left their brother dead. This story was painful. It hurt to read. It was gut-wrenching. It was raw. It was unfair. But it was also so real.
What broke my heart the most is that The Ghosts We Keep was, in large part, a story of dealing with grief with a microscopic support system. While Liam was hurting, their friends turned their backs on them, their parents were minimally supportive and punished them for the emotions they were feeling, and Marcus (though he had no true obligation to be a support) was hostile and aggressive despite Liam just wanting to help.
Liam had to be strong, and they had to find that strength within themselves as they learned to navigate life without their brother. And not only did Liam lose their brother, they lost their former life. And I think an important part of grief is that we are mourning a past that will no longer be our "normal." The book was incredibly introspective, and the use of flashbacks / the "before" and "after" format really helped emphasize that.
Liam's friends were terrible. And after all was said and done, I was glad they didn't patch things up at the end of the book. Because to me, somehow managing to make things about yourself when a friend has just had their brother killed in an unsolved hit-and-run ... shows what kind of people those "friends" were. Let's offer little to no support to our friend, get quiet whenever our friend comes around, and then get mad when we're called out on it. However, this was a good focus on a different aspect of grief -- the fact that grief is an imposition to some people. When comforting those going through loss, we also need to take time for ourselves. It can be emotionally draining. And that is valid. But when friends shame other people for feeling grief longer than they themselves may feel is necessary, and to make things personal / make it their own narrative -- that is simply you being a jackass.
Honestly, Liam's parents made me mad, as well. Taking away Liam's ability to create music, which was their special form of catharsis, because they were feeling anger -- that upset me. And to threaten Liam with not getting that form of expression back until their grades were back up? While they were struggling with school due in large part to the grief they were feeling? Forcing them to stay home and suffer alone in their room with their painful emotions instead of being in favor of them spending time with friends to help themselves take a break from the ruminating? I would never treat my child like that. And while it's understandable that their parents were also dealing with their own grief, some of that behavior was cruel. Their parents were not understanding. And it made my soul hurt for Liam.
I did see the "twist" coming (not sure if you can call a coming-out revelation a twist), but that added a new layer of complexity to Liam's grief -- moving on with new information and having a million questions come up that you'll never be able to ask someone who's passed away. Because now you're mourning a future that won't ever happen.
It broke my heart that Liam and Marcus never spoke again. When first Liam made a statement to the effect of "we never saw each other again," I thought it was speculation of what may happen -- until I remembered that the book was being told in past tense, and Liam was reliving the events as they happened. I wish they'd have been able to salvage their friendship.
I am glad that we did glimmers of hope at the end of the story. Seeing Liam reconcile with their parents, making new friends, and learning to navigate their life following a tragedy made me so proud of the progress they made as a human.
Overall, I could not put this book down. It demands emotions from the reader, and I felt that I was experiencing grief alongside Liam. It was filled to the brim with sentimental moments, regret, pure anger, and a big dose of melancholia. It was a book that made me feel so many things, and I am so happy I finally picked it up.
Also, Liam had amazing taste in music. Big Thief? Charli XCX? Soccer Mommy? FKA Twigs? Carly Rae Jepsen? A human after my own heart.
dhishfish's review against another edition
4.0
A heart-achingly honest perspective of grief.
This book wasn't anything absolutely spectacular, nor was it an awful book I'd never want to read again, but it was just a book, that brought a natural but open story to read. I felt so many things while reading this that I can't really describe. But idk something about this book is just so (insert word here for something I can't describe). Anyways, i loved it and y'all should go read it.
This book wasn't anything absolutely spectacular, nor was it an awful book I'd never want to read again, but it was just a book, that brought a natural but open story to read. I felt so many things while reading this that I can't really describe. But idk something about this book is just so (insert word here for something I can't describe). Anyways, i loved it and y'all should go read it.