A review by acepersephone
The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective 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

If you've ever watched a modern day supernatural teen show - like Buffy the Vampire Slayer - and thought, but what are all the teenagers who aren't directly involved in stopping the supernatural entities from taking over the town and killing anyone doing? This is that book. The supernatural is what's happening in the background, the foreground is a group of friends who are dealing with real issues of being a teenager.

I'm a fan at how Patrick Ness weaves the magical and surreal into the modern day and at the same time, he uses this setting to reflect on the human condition, the trauma we face - especially as vulnerable kids who are looking to the adults to have answers only to be denied these answers because teenage problems aren't considered real problems by society at large. But he does this so gently and compassionately within the chaos and confusion of the world he's crafted. This one is definitely less abstract than More Than This, but still such a good examination of the human condition while telling a beautiful story. 
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