As you may or may not know, I had the privilege to attend the American Library Association’s Midwinter Conference last week (more on that whole trip soon). During this wonderful train-snow-book-filled adventure, I acquired a whopping 47 books. Of course, most of them were free Advanced Reading Copies, and of course, I couldn’t wait to dig into them! And honestly, I cannot recommend you pre-order this book enough:

The Walls Around Us is a fast paced tale about  two girls: one on the outside and one on the inside. Violet is a ballerina preparing to leave for Julliard who will let nothing get in the way of the future she has planned.  Amber has spent the last 3 years inside a girl’s detention center, just trying to survive each day. A third girl, Orianna, holds the keys to unlocking mysteries for all of them.  You see, as the story begins, she’s already dead.

The prose flits between place and time deftly. Employing first person narration, Suma creates distinct voices and experiences, allowing the reader to make the switches easily.  Violet, ever independent and strong willed, speaks in first person, as an “I” never a we.  Amber, on the other hand, does not distinguish herself from the rest of the prisoners. Suma gives her a third person narration, a “we” an “us” mentality.  Right from the start, these girls are set to be apart, and yet, as you must know, they are neither what they seem.

The smoothness of the text also pulls you into the story and creates an easy way to read between the lines without using jarring neon lights.  As always, I’m a sucker for language, and though it isn’t the lilting, descriptive tone I usually wilt over, The Walls Around Us employs a lively prose which fits the tense, mysterious and slightly supernatural tone of the book and ropes you right in.

Overall, The Walls Around Us is about more than ghosts or prisons or ballerinas. It’s about decisions, motivations, friendship, fear of facing reality, and about finally facing who and what you really are on the inside.

The walls are what we make of them.

Now, I leave you with the lovely view of where I finished the book…cuddled up with my oh so graceful sleeping greyhound, Prince.