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A review by evitaveda
The Ghosts We Keep by Mason Deaver
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.”