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A review by dogoodwithbooks
We Can Never Leave by H.E. Edgmon
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Five teens living in a mysterious traveling community wake up one morning to discover they've been left behind. Each having their own secrets to hide, the group has no choice but to travel to the community's permanent settlement in Oregon as they try to investigate what happened to their community.
This is the second book I've read from Edgmon, and I will admit that I did had a hard time trying to decide what to rate this book.
While using the Caravan as an allegory for living in an actual cult, I was confused over some aspects of Edgmon's world-building and especially with understanding what members of the Caravan are supposed to be. The most I was able to get out of the text is that they're some sort of half-human, half-whatever-creature-they-have hybrid. At the same time, Edgmon's poetic prose and innate character development really drives home the themes of We Can Never Leave about how growing up in these extremely isolated communities can ultimately set young people up for failure outside of that community and how as a result of they can never truly leave that community. However, the ending ultimately led me to give this book four stars since it was so shocking and so poignant that I think it was the right ending to this book's story.
It's hard giving a recommendation of who would really enjoy this kind of book and I think it's one of those books where you have to read it in order to decide if you're the type of reader for this book. Though, you might not like this book if you're not a fan of fantasy novels with vague/unclear world-building and if you poetic prose to be distracting for a fantasy novel.
Five teens living in a mysterious traveling community wake up one morning to discover they've been left behind. Each having their own secrets to hide, the group has no choice but to travel to the community's permanent settlement in Oregon as they try to investigate what happened to their community.
This is the second book I've read from Edgmon, and I will admit that I did had a hard time trying to decide what to rate this book.
While using the Caravan as an allegory for living in an actual cult, I was confused over some aspects of Edgmon's world-building and especially with understanding what members of the Caravan are supposed to be. The most I was able to get out of the text is that they're some sort of half-human, half-whatever-creature-they-have hybrid. At the same time, Edgmon's poetic prose and innate character development really drives home the themes of We Can Never Leave about how growing up in these extremely isolated communities can ultimately set young people up for failure outside of that community and how as a result of they can never truly leave that community. However, the ending ultimately led me to give this book four stars since it was so shocking and so poignant that I think it was the right ending to this book's story.
It's hard giving a recommendation of who would really enjoy this kind of book and I think it's one of those books where you have to read it in order to decide if you're the type of reader for this book. Though, you might not like this book if you're not a fan of fantasy novels with vague/unclear world-building and if you poetic prose to be distracting for a fantasy novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Transphobia, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Murder
Minor: Blood, Fire/Fire injury