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A review by itsmekhwahish
And Then There Was Us by Kern Carter
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-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
Be careful of what you tell yourself.
I first heard Kern Carter say that during a Storytelling and Narratives lecture. As a cohort, we were guided towards thinking about what stories we tell ourselves. What version of the truth do we convince ourselves to believe in?
That lecture and this novel meet ends.
There are very few authors that I've read who practice what they preach. Kern Carter is one of them and And Then There Was Us is a prime-time example.
Coi took me on an intuitive journey where she learned how to forgive her family and taught me how to see my family members in a different light. I was just as torn as Coi through the first half of the novel - I didn't know if I should feel angry towards Coi's mother, Crissy, or feel sorry for her. Which emotion would be appropriate?
The answer lay within the novel itself.
Through Crissy's father, we learn that there is no 'right way' to feel. His words reminded me of the quote from To All The Boys I've Loved Before where Lara Jean says, "You can be mad at someone and still miss them."
What's interesting to note is that Coi's father remains unnamed throughout the novel. We see Coi's estranged maternal side titling him Mister Smart Guy but never quite referring to him by his name. In fact, we learn almost every character's name in the book except Coi's father. It seems like a deliberate choice as it portrays the bond he has with Coi. It reads as though he's the only true family she has.
Given the importance Coi's father had in her life, I did wish we got to read more about their relationship in connection to Crissy. What was the dynamic between the three of them like? How was Crissy's behaviour towards Coi when her father was home? How did Coi's father respond? I found myself wondering about that a lot. I also found myself thinking about Coi and Derrick and the significance of their relationship to the plot of the novel. Apart from the scene revolving around the necklace, where else did the relationship directly impact the flow of the novel?
Although I did have the aforementioned plot-centric concerns, I had none with regard to Kern's writing style. It would be a disservice if I didn't deem the book melodic. The writing had a rhythm to it - every line had significance; and so when Coi said, "I don't cry, not for her, not ever," I knew it meant something. In an interview with Corey Kareem Roberts, Kern talks about being inspired by the Toni Morrison's writing and the desire to be able to write like that. You can see the manifestation of that desire through lines like, "Small piles of snow along the road are like flares guiding us the entire way."
And Then There Was Us does stand to be a novel of its time as we see a generation more actively engaging in conversations concerning 'mommy' or rather family issues as a whole.
I first heard Kern Carter say that during a Storytelling and Narratives lecture. As a cohort, we were guided towards thinking about what stories we tell ourselves. What version of the truth do we convince ourselves to believe in?
That lecture and this novel meet ends.
There are very few authors that I've read who practice what they preach. Kern Carter is one of them and And Then There Was Us is a prime-time example.
Coi took me on an intuitive journey where she learned how to forgive her family and taught me how to see my family members in a different light. I was just as torn as Coi through the first half of the novel - I didn't know if I should feel angry towards Coi's mother, Crissy, or feel sorry for her. Which emotion would be appropriate?
The answer lay within the novel itself.
Through Crissy's father, we learn that there is no 'right way' to feel. His words reminded me of the quote from To All The Boys I've Loved Before where Lara Jean says, "You can be mad at someone and still miss them."
What's interesting to note is that Coi's father remains unnamed throughout the novel. We see Coi's estranged maternal side titling him Mister Smart Guy but never quite referring to him by his name. In fact, we learn almost every character's name in the book except Coi's father. It seems like a deliberate choice as it portrays the bond he has with Coi. It reads as though he's the only true family she has.
Given the importance Coi's father had in her life, I did wish we got to read more about their relationship in connection to Crissy. What was the dynamic between the three of them like? How was Crissy's behaviour towards Coi when her father was home? How did Coi's father respond? I found myself wondering about that a lot. I also found myself thinking about Coi and Derrick and the significance of their relationship to the plot of the novel. Apart from the scene revolving around the necklace, where else did the relationship directly impact the flow of the novel?
Although I did have the aforementioned plot-centric concerns, I had none with regard to Kern's writing style. It would be a disservice if I didn't deem the book melodic. The writing had a rhythm to it - every line had significance; and so when Coi said, "I don't cry, not for her, not ever," I knew it meant something. In an interview with Corey Kareem Roberts, Kern talks about being inspired by the Toni Morrison's writing and the desire to be able to write like that. You can see the manifestation of that desire through lines like, "Small piles of snow along the road are like flares guiding us the entire way."
And Then There Was Us does stand to be a novel of its time as we see a generation more actively engaging in conversations concerning 'mommy' or rather family issues as a whole.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Car accident and Death of parent
Minor: Drug use and Alcohol