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A review by georgiaec
We Are All Ghosts in the Forest by Lorraine Wilson
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
Katerina's village borders the forest, alive and sentient in a way it never was before the end of the world. Ghosts of the digital age haunt the streets, the houses, the fields, the skies; starting fires and haunting books and infecting humans with their constant quest for electro-chemical belonging. When an unknown boy arrives on Katerina's doorstep with a note from his father, the bees begin to whisper of destruction and plague and nightmares; the villagers whisper of a new disease from the south; the ghosts whisper of drowning and flame. Katerina prepares as best she can, brewing and harvesting and powdering. But when travesty looms, people turn on those who are different. The end of the world hasn't changed that.
This book was so so gorgeous and I feel so special to have been able to read it ahead of publication. I loved the writing, the magic, the characters, the stunning blend of hedge-witch magic and an apocalypse of haunted data. The premise itself, of a world haunted by fragments of the digital age which seek 'belonging' with 'similar' matter (be it biological, digital, or electrical), is honestly the most riveting take on the end of the world since Hell Followed With Us.
The atmosphere of the writing is gorgeously haunted and bright and lush; the way Katerina interacts with the world around her is beautiful and poignant, and her struggles with guilt and belonging and responsibility are so universally relatable and handled with so much understanding and emotion. Despite being so different from her, I felt so deeply connected with her as a character. Her relationships with others – Stefan, Aleksander, Elisabet in particular – are just so real and filled with meaning. And Orlando the cat??? Oh my gosh!
I think the explorations of loneliness and fear of rejection are so so powerful, and are explored in so any different manifestations; I particularly enjoyed the contrasts and similarities between Stefan and Katerina as people who have both been changed irreparably by past experiences and who continue to deal with their lived realities in the way that they can. Stefan's lack of a voice is never treated as a problem. Katerina's fear of others loving and needing and leaving her is something she has to come to terms with on her own, not on anyone else's timetable. Elisabet is not just an ally, but a true friend whom Katerina trusts above all others. Jaakob must face the suffering of others as something beyond his own experiences, despite the loss he carries. All so different but all so universal!
This book was so so gorgeous and I feel so special to have been able to read it ahead of publication. I loved the writing, the magic, the characters, the stunning blend of hedge-witch magic and an apocalypse of haunted data. The premise itself, of a world haunted by fragments of the digital age which seek 'belonging' with 'similar' matter (be it biological, digital, or electrical), is honestly the most riveting take on the end of the world since Hell Followed With Us.
The atmosphere of the writing is gorgeously haunted and bright and lush; the way Katerina interacts with the world around her is beautiful and poignant, and her struggles with guilt and belonging and responsibility are so universally relatable and handled with so much understanding and emotion. Despite being so different from her, I felt so deeply connected with her as a character. Her relationships with others – Stefan, Aleksander, Elisabet in particular – are just so real and filled with meaning. And Orlando the cat??? Oh my gosh!
I think the explorations of loneliness and fear of rejection are so so powerful, and are explored in so any different manifestations; I particularly enjoyed the contrasts and similarities between Stefan and Katerina as people who have both been changed irreparably by past experiences and who continue to deal with their lived realities in the way that they can. Stefan's lack of a voice is never treated as a problem. Katerina's fear of others loving and needing and leaving her is something she has to come to terms with on her own, not on anyone else's timetable. Elisabet is not just an ally, but a true friend whom Katerina trusts above all others. Jaakob must face the suffering of others as something beyond his own experiences, despite the loss he carries. All so different but all so universal!