I got accepted to review this book years ago, but unfortunately never got around to reading it. Apologies for this.

I love this book and this author! Nova Ren Suma is brilliant, and this is one of her best books yet. Absolutely recommend.

I had originally read The Walls Around Us prior to its release in 2015. Unfortunately, I never wrote a review for Netgalley. So, here I am in 2021 re-reading it and remembering exactly what excited me the first time around and what still confuses me. This book is a serious mind bender!

From the very beginning, I was uncertain what it was that I actually reading. I think that this may have been a planned by the author Nova Ren Suma but, it was still difficult to accept as I’m a reader who usually likes things to be more straight forward. The Walls Around Us was filled with twisty convoluted moments that pulled you in deeper until you felt like you were in a deep emotional fog. While it was not my usual choice for reading, I really liked the psychological aspect of this and the pull that was created between the reader, the setting, and the characters.

The Walls Around Us is told in alternating perspectives of two young girls. The first is Violet who is a wealthy teenager on her way to Julliard to study ballet. The second is Amber who is a teenager in a juvenile detention for murder. A third young girl named Ori connects the two narrators when she is sent to the juvenile prison for murder. Ori is also Violet’s best friend. Or at least, she was…prior to the murders. This alternating of perspectives adds to the fog of the novel because there is no direct timeline. It is murky and dark but beautiful at the same time. Nova Ren Suma paints a unique picture using her words connecting the world of the prison to the world of ballet classes and performances.

Being that The Walls Around Us is such a mind bender, it was difficult to wrap my head around everything that was happening. Even the second time around, I feel like I may have missed important clues that would have helped me better connect the story. If things were a little bit more laid out for me, maybe I would have been able to connect to it better. That being said, it was exciting to read something outside my usual area of focus – and having a background in psychology, I really liked the descriptions of the mental impact which prison and/or ballet had on the characters.

I would recommend The Walls Around Us to anyone who enjoys books that play with your mind and that has characters who you can empathize with till the very end. The quality of writing is excellent and it made it difficult to put down. Personally, I would have liked it better if I wasn’t so confused but, I can’t fault the writing for my own personal preferences. And it’s always good to try and expand your horizons and book preferences too!

I was not expecting the book I read. I thought it would be going in different directions than it did. It's so rare for me to feel surprised at the way a book goes that for this alone, I rate this book highly. In addition, I loved the somewhat wafty prose, the dreamy feel of the whole book, and adored the vindication of the ending. Well done!

As a friend described this book to me when I asked her if this was a spooky read for October: “Not scary-spooky but atmospheric-mind-fuck-ghost spooky.” Clever and haunting. I love NRS’s writing and the somewhat mysterious ending feels fitting.

I love this book. It's weird, creepy, and hard to define. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what was real and what wasn't within the context of the book, but that's rather the point. The unflinching treatment of mental illness coupled with the haunting prose makes this a must read.

I got confused at reading this book at first but as the story goes on, I enjoyed the book itself. Book cover was amazing too!

I read this book for my book club. I thought it was a very fascinating and surprising story. Read my review (in Dutch) on my website Ikvindlezenleuk: https://ikvindlezenleuk.nl/2016/10/suma-walls-around-us/

I love Nova Ren Suma's work. Her writing is unique and stands out. When The Walls Around Us originally released, there were mixed reviews of this story. Stories that have you thinking beyond the box with a mixture of mystery, horror, and even magical realism is a surprising mix for a book, and I knew I had to read it.

In a dual-point of view, Amber and Violet tell the story of their very different lives. One privileged and afforded all of the benefits, and the other the complete opposite. Naturally, their personalities differ as well, but I can't pin point if the privilege/upbringing to personality ratio is a thing to balance the scales a bit.

I gravitated towards one versus the other, and I think that is where it became hard for me to connect to the story. I don't always have the best reading experience when reading books of multi POVs. Sometimes, it changes the momentum and my interest towards the story, the characters, the plot, any detail really, begin to wane.

It happened here a bit, and it left me constantly disengaging.

I will always be a fan of Nova Ren Suma's writing and this book is just another example of her mastery

Nova really worked her magic with this one. The psychological thriller was out of this world - having my heart race as I read faster and faster to understand what was happening. The ending was a bit confusing, though psychological thrillers are a little tougher to decode.

I really, really enjoyed it though.

This is the first time I’ve read anything from Nova Ren Suma and I am really glad because I loved this book. The Walls Around Us is captivating, breath-taking and mysterious. The way it was written was very interesting. The
flowery words used in the novel didn’t make it appear exaggerated, instead it solidifies the story.

The story was told in two different voices, Violet and Amber. I have to admit, I was really confused at first because they seem to exist in a parallel universe so I had no idea which of the two actually exist in the present but as the story progressed, I was enlightened and I found myself really surprised and amazed.

Violet is a ballerina, off to Juilliard. Amber is a criminal, in a juvenile detention center. These two have nothing in common except Ori, Violet’s bestfriend. I love how their characters were both depicted. Although I would
say that I liked Amber better than Violet, especially towards the end of the story because Violet seemed to be self-absorbing which really annoyed me.

Violet is kind of hard to interpret for me. I think her complex personality was one of the major anchors of the story. Amber is kind, smart and she loves books. I love the references to certain popular authors like Libba Bray, Sylvia Plath, and books like The Giver and The Book Thief.

The plot was driving and a bit intense. I lost my mind just as I was lost for words after reading it. It actually reminded me of the film, Black Swan. It’s really mysterious and thrilling and I loved every single page of this book. It perfectly captures surrealism.

I’m looking forward to reading Nova Ren Suma’s other books, especially Imaginary Girls which is currently waiting on my shelf. Overall, The Walls Around Us was such a beautiful read. I would definitely recommend this one.

Sorry, requested but did not find the time to review.