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A review by alecashlark
The Ghosts We Keep by Mason Deaver
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A bleak but hopeful story about the struggles of coping up and moving on in the wake of a loved one’s death, Mason Deaver’s The Ghost We Keep reminds us how finite and prescious time is and that we should make the most out of it with the people we love. Recommended.
Despite the story being generally sad, the narrative was so easy to read. I can’t pinpoint the reason for this. The narrative jumps between before and after the accident happened, the chapters are shorts, the language simple, and the point of view deep enough. I guess it had to do with the fact that it was so easy empathize and relate to what the main character was going through.
Liam, the main character, is a sixteen-year-old enby whose brother, Ethan, was killed in a hit-and-ran accident. I have no strong feeling toward them except sympathy. And that’s because their character development wasn’t as strong as the story demanded.
I know that the death of their brother affected and changed them but I’m not sure as to what extent, how much their characters had to bend and break as a result of what happened. I mostly only know them in the pocket of time around their brother’s death as this grieving, in-denial, depressed, and angry teen. And not much of what they’re like aside from those due to lack of a solid point of reference.
The plot is what I liked the least about the book. I was always ahead of it. In fact, three chapters in and I already knew how the story was going go. I was never surprised. But that might be a case of “it’s me, not the book”. Also, my opinion wasn’t improved by the fact it was Ethan, despite being already dead, that move the plot along more instead of Liam, the main character.
The theme is what I liked the most. Grief and regret, to an extent, is universally resonant. We’ve all lost something or someone, in one way or another, that we wish we haven’t. The theme made me feel the most because it was so easy to imagine myself being in Liam’s situation, and it’s what kept me thinking about the book long after the end.
Obviously the The Ghost We Keep isn’t perfect, far from it actually. But it’s a meaningful and hopeful story that re-taught me an important lesson that preoccupation made me forget. Life is short, so live and love.
Despite the story being generally sad, the narrative was so easy to read. I can’t pinpoint the reason for this. The narrative jumps between before and after the accident happened, the chapters are shorts, the language simple, and the point of view deep enough. I guess it had to do with the fact that it was so easy empathize and relate to what the main character was going through.
Liam, the main character, is a sixteen-year-old enby whose brother, Ethan, was killed in a hit-and-ran accident. I have no strong feeling toward them except sympathy. And that’s because their character development wasn’t as strong as the story demanded.
I know that the death of their brother affected and changed them but I’m not sure as to what extent, how much their characters had to bend and break as a result of what happened. I mostly only know them in the pocket of time around their brother’s death as this grieving, in-denial, depressed, and angry teen. And not much of what they’re like aside from those due to lack of a solid point of reference.
The plot is what I liked the least about the book. I was always ahead of it. In fact, three chapters in and I already knew how the story was going go. I was never surprised. But that might be a case of “it’s me, not the book”. Also, my opinion wasn’t improved by the fact it was Ethan, despite being already dead, that move the plot along more instead of Liam, the main character.
The theme is what I liked the most. Grief and regret, to an extent, is universally resonant. We’ve all lost something or someone, in one way or another, that we wish we haven’t. The theme made me feel the most because it was so easy to imagine myself being in Liam’s situation, and it’s what kept me thinking about the book long after the end.
Obviously the The Ghost We Keep isn’t perfect, far from it actually. But it’s a meaningful and hopeful story that re-taught me an important lesson that preoccupation made me forget. Life is short, so live and love.