A review by bhavya_reads
The Ghosts We Keep by Mason Deaver

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

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"Sometimes poetry is more about the feeling the words give you, the emotion, the placement, and not necessarily the words themselves. But the words are what you read. And you read the words to find the emotion, so the words do matter."


~ Rating- 5 stars ~

Content/ Trigger Warnings- Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Break-ups (in relationships) & Coping with a Break-up, Brief Mentions of Transphobia & Pressure of Staying Closeted, Crying, Car accident (hit and run), Death of a child, Death of a brother, Death of a friend, Death of a partner, Detailed Description of the Deceased's Body, Discussions of Gender Dysphoria, Depression, Funerals, Grief, Guilt, Homophobia, Misgendering & Not using Preferred Pronouns, Panic attacks (on page), Self-harm (on page), Suicidal Ideation, Toxic Friendships, Vomiting

Note- I have tried to include all the content warnings that I noticed, but there is no guarantee that I haven’t missed something.

-Mention & Discussion of almost all of these in the review-

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"So there was nowhere. Nowhere that I belonged."


The Ghosts We Keep, by Mason Deaver is one of the best books I’ve read this year (second only to Letters to the Lost, which I also highly recommend!). This book is heartbreakingly beautiful and it has everything I like to read. While it has its wonderful elements, it also has some flaws and I fully acknowledge this might not be for everyone. However, I really loved this book and highly recommend it.

"No clubs, no friends, no lonely person reports. Nothing. Just bake sales and dead brothers."


When Liam Cooper's older brother Ethan is killed in a hit-and-run, Liam has to not only learn to face the world without one of the people they loved the most, but also face the fading relationship with their two best friends. Feeling more alone and isolated than ever, Liam finds themself sharing time with Marcus, Ethan's best friend, and through Marcus, Liam finds the one person that seems to know exactly what they are going through, for the better, and the worse. But grieving is a chaotic feeling, and Liam is finding it hard to process their grief.



"I was foolish in my belief that grief was a straightforward thing. I thought the first wave would hit, and gradually the feelings of sadness and desperation would slip away until I found myself normal again. But I was so very wrong. Because grief is a complicated, ugly, messy thing. And it makes you do complicated, ugly, messy things."


The plot of The Ghosts We Keep is about our main character Liam (who is non-binary & uses he/they pronouns, though they have a preference for they/them) and the way they cope with the death of their brother, Ethan. I will admit, that might make the book ‘boring’ as it's more character-centered and the plot isn’t the main focus, but the book is still worth the read despite that.

"And wasn’t that what death really was? Forgetting. Could Ethan truly be gone if I never forgot him? I’d keep remembering him. I’d keep him alive with me."


The primary focus of the book is Liam’s grief, and that’s all. It doesn’t try to cram a romance, we (fortunately!) don’t have to sit though characters making lovey-eyes at each other while they are not in a good mental state to be in a relationship. Instead, we see Liam being an ‘angsty’ teenager and learning to deal with life and its problems like school, toxic friendships etc, along with coping with the loss of their brother Ethan. And I loved this, because it was a realistic portrayal of a teenager struggling.

"But knowing what you have to do and actually doing what you need to are two different things, two separate worlds."


It didn’t try to gloss things over, it didn’t paint a perfect picture of a perfect life, and it certainly didn’t follow the formula of most YA books where the MC meets a love interest and everything becomes fine.



"I didn’t know how I was feeling; I couldn’t feel anything except numbness. Simple, reliable concepts like time moving forward, or even the space around me, didn’t feel real. It felt more like a dream that I’d wake up from soon. But it wasn’t a dream. And I wouldn’t wake up."


We need more YA books that tackle difficult subjects like mental health in an accurate manner and that encourage healing with trauma in healthy ways like therapy, and The Ghosts We Keep does that. Everything about this book was relatable, and I hope everyone, especially all teenagers read it (after checking content warnings, please) as THIS is how a YA book should be.

"I wanted something for me. Maybe that was the point. To live just for me?"




The writing of The Ghosts We Keep was excellent. It's written in first person from Liam’s perspective. There are ‘before’ and ‘after’ chapters, and I usually find this style a little confusing, but it was easy to understand here. There were so many quotes that I really felt, and I have around 14 pages of annotated notes. I am looking forward to reading more by Mason Deaver so I can read more of their writing style!

"I didn’t want to die. Not really. What I wanted was to disappear. To blink out of existence, to be forgotten by everyone who ever knew me. I didn’t want to be here anymore, to have to think, to have to feel. What was the point anyway? The older I got, the more people would vanish."


The characters in this book are well written. No one is here just for the sake of it. The side-characters have a purpose, and a life apart from the MC. All the characters are flawed, and are crafted in a scrupulous manner, which was great to see.



"But now it was clear to me, I didn’t belong anywhere; there was nowhere for me to go. No friends for me to talk to, no parents who wanted to understand me. There was nothing for me. Nothing."


The MC, Liam is not a faultless person, in fact the exact opposite. Liam often makes mistakes, lashes out at their loved ones and hurts the people in their life constantly. They are called out for their actions, and even though they are grieving, all of their behaviour is not excused. I loved the way that this was executed, it was genuine and true to real life. Liam also has a passion for music, and I really liked the way we saw them using music as a way to cope with their grief. I was captivated with their journey to healing and getting better.

"That, and I was unsure of what my role would be in that world. Would I want to stay behind the scenes, produce and write the music that other people would be famous for singing? Or would I want to be in the spotlight, have it be my name on the tickets and the songs?"


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➼Analysing Pros & Cons

➡Pros
◙ Good Writing.
◙ Interesting Characters.
◙ Realistic Messages & Portrayal of Important Issues, along with LGBTQIAP+ Representation.

➡Cons
◙ The lack of a plot & romance.
◙ The ‘Before’ and ‘After’ Chapters could be confusing for some.
◙ Some people might find Liam annoying as a character.

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"I was trying to fool myself, and if the last few months had taught me anything, it was that I was incredibly good at fooling myself. The truth would always find me. No matter how hard I pushed down its ugly head, it would find a way back in. Always. And it didn’t smell like vanilla. I still found it so much easier to discuss frozen yogurt instead of my dead brother."




Overall, The Ghosts We Keep was an incredible book, one that I am very happy to have read and can see myself re-reading several times in the future. I would highly recommend it.

"It hurt because I missed him so much. I missed my brother more than anything I’d ever missed before. And I knew that I was never going to stop missing him. But I had to learn to live alongside the pain, alongside this missing part of my life that I’d never get back. With every single day, it’d get easier."


Review written & uploaded on 11th November, 2021.

P.S.- I tried a new reviewing format, would love some feedback!

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DISCLAIMER-All opinions on books I’ve read and reviewed are my own, and are with no intention to offend anyone. If you feel offended by my reviews, let me know how I can fix it.

How I Rate-
1 star- Hardly liked anything/ was disappointed
2 star- Had potential but did not deliver/ was disappointed
3 stars- Was ok but could have been better/ was average / Enjoyed a lot but something was missing
4 stars- Loved a lot but something was missing
5 stars- Loved it/ new favourite
 
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This. Book.
I... I don't know what to say. It was beautiful and heartbreaking. It made me cry thrice, and I never cry while reading. I'm lost for words as to how wonderful this was. Highly recommend. Review to come. 

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