We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
Publication Date: February 14th, 2017
Publisher: Dutton BFYR
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Recommended Age: 13+
Pacing: Slow
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Family, Grief

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BLURB:

Marin hasn’t spoken to anyone from her old life since the day she left everything behind. No one knows the truth about those final weeks. Not even her best friend, Mabel. But even thousands of miles away from the California coast, at college in New York, Marin still feels the pull of the life and tragedy she’s tried to outrun. Now, months later, alone in an emptied dorm for winter break, Marin waits. Mabel is coming to visit, and Marin will be forced to face everything that’s been left unsaid and finally confront the loneliness that has made a home in her heart.

This is possibly the prettiest book I’ve held in my hands. As pretty as the picture looks, the hardcover is twice as lovely.

So I’m definitely glad I enjoyed the story, because otherwise I would have felt morally obliged to donate the book.

Nina LaCour doesn’t write; she paints. Delicately and purposefully. Her words are colors that blend into one another to create a magnificent landscape.

This is a book about family, first love, grief and solitude. Before she began college, Marin lived with her grandfather. They weren’t close – so many secrets between them – but they had each other, which was more than Marin could have wished for.

But one day, her grandpa dies unexpectedly and Marin is alone in the world again, for the second time since her mother died. Mabel is three thousand miles away, with a new boyfriend, and Marin isn’t ready to open up to anyone.

I could feel Marin’s fragility and loneliness in every word. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be without family. It can destroy a person. Tear them to shreds.

Fortunately, sensing something is wrong with her friend and former girlfriend, Mabel visits Marin at college for three days. Will this encourage her to talk about her past and feelings?

If I had to choose one word to describe this story, I would say it’s ‘‘quiet.’’ Tranquil. Melancholic, even. You must know this is unlike those novels that have dozens of events which form a plot. It’s not about going from point A to point B; it’s about digging up point A and putting its pieces back together.

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