by Nova Ren Suma
Expected publication: March 24th 2015 by Algonquin Young Readers
“Ori’s dead because of what happened out behind the theater, in the tunnel made out of trees. She’s dead because she got sent to that place upstate, locked up with those monsters. And she got sent there because of me.”
The Walls Around Us is a ghostly story of suspense told in two voices—one still living and one long dead. On the outside, there’s Violet, an eighteen-year-old dancer days away from the life of her dreams when something threatens to expose the shocking truth of her achievement. On the inside, within the walls of a girls’ juvenile detention center, there’s Amber, locked up for so long she can’t imagine freedom. Tying these two worlds together is Orianna, who holds the key to unlocking all the girls’ darkest mysteries.
We hear Amber’s story and Violet’s, and through them Orianna’s, first from one angle, then from another, until gradually we begin to get the whole picture—which is not necessarily the one that either Amber or Violet wants us to see.
Nova Ren Suma tells a supernatural tale of guilt and innocence, and what happens when one is mistaken for the other.
The goes from POVs of two girls - Amber and Violet, who are completely unrelated to each other. Amber is 15-year-old girl, who hates her stepfather. Violet - 15-year-old next famous ballerina, who is jealous of her friend Orianna, because she's at times better than Violet. But what is the essence of the story?
The thing is, Ori is dead. Dead because of Violet.
The story told us about Orianna - Ori - Speerling from two sides - one from Amber, and second - from her best friend Violet - Vee, as Orianna called her. It all started when little Ori was forgotten to be taken from ballet classes. She met Violet and so began their long and strong friendship that ended in one place behind the theater, where girls practiced.
Can't say I'm in love with ballet, but I don't hate it. Pointe shoes, performances, dances - it was not interested for me. But what I liked were relationships between girls, and later between boys and girls. Vee - mediocre ballerina, who achieves all by herself. She trains every day, eats only a couple of slices of cheese - only when she`s very hungry - to keep fit. Her pas are good, but not enough. She's not perfect. Not as perfect as Ori. Ori has a talent - she did not have to suffer be magnificent, beautiful, terrific. They called her transcendent. Everyone loved her. She was kind, sympathetic girl, you could relie on her. And Vee hated this. She wanted a major role at a play - Ori had it. She wanted a boyfriend - but Ori founded him faster. But, despite all the ups and downs, Ori remained with her. Even when Vee was mocked by two girls from ballet classes. Who, ultimately, will remain 15-year-old for forever. Because they are dead.
After their death, Ori was put in a jail for underage girls - Aurora Hills, in which, besides Oriana, are another 41 criminals under the age of 12. Each of them are guilty, despite all of the words. Someone stole something, someone made an arson, someone beaten someone. They are not innocent people. There Ori met Amber - her cellmate. In addition, Aurora Hill had 40 more girls, some of whom were whiners, suicidal and just daredevils. Her ex cellmate D'Amour was an addict. But Amber is different - she's quiet, prudent and loves to read books. In Aurora Hills every girl was responsible for something - someone cooked, someone did gardening. Amber was responsible for their small library, took care of books, carried them in different wings of the prison - which, incidentally, was a huge place. Nobody really paid attention to her till Ori became her cellmate.
After that, the story tells us that actually happened to the 42 girls, how they died, and who really killed the two ballerinas.
You will like The Walls Around Us if you like gloomy, a bit mysterious books. Perhaps the plot is a bit loose, but the book is worth reading.
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