Review: The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe

Book Description via Goodreads:

ARC, 311 pages

January 24, 2012, Disney-Hyperion (US), Pier 9 (AUS)

It starts with an itch you just can't shake. Then comes a fever and a tickle in your throat. A few days later, you'll be blabbing your secrets and chatting with strangers like they’re old friends. Three more, and the paranoid hallucinations kick in.

And then you're dead.

When a deadly virus begins to sweep through sixteen-year-old Kaelyn’s community, the government quarantines her island—no one can leave, and no one can come back. Those still healthy must fight for dwindling supplies, or lose all chance of survival.

As everything familiar comes crashing down, Kaelyn joins forces with a former rival and discovers a new love in the midst of heartbreak. When the virus starts to rob her of friends and family, she clings to the belief that there must be a way to save the people she holds dearest. Because how will she go on if there isn't?

Megan Crewe crafts a powerful and gripping exploration of self-preservation, first love, and hope. Poignant and dizzying, this heart-wrenching story of one girl’s bravery and unbeatable spirit will leave readers fervently awaiting the next book in this standout new series.

Source: Netgalley & Hyperion, Ashlea and Pier 9 (Started reading the one from Netgalley but continued and finished reading using the Pier 9 copy)

My Thoughts:

Many years ago, Kaelyn moved out of her island to live in Toronto. Then a few years ago, she moved back to the island with her family. She went back to everything she left behind – her home, her school and her neighborhood. But the thing was that, Kaelyn felt disconnected with them. She didn’t get along that well with the islanders. With her dark skin tone and having lived away for years, she found it doubly harder to fit it. She never did – not on the island or in Toronto. She was just that kind of girl.

The virus was a queer one. It didn’t turn people into zombie-like versions of themselves but it made people friendlier, and took away social inhibitions, letting its host get close to other people and spread the virus. Even though the virus killed an awful lot of people in Kaelyn’s island, there was a part of me that liked it. With the virus, people spoke the truth. And the ones left behind realized the importance and shortness of life. They grouped together, offered support and lend a helping hand to each other.

The virus took Kaelyn’s father away, making him devote too many of his hours working at the hospital and at the research center. It was everywhere, manifesting through itches, coughs and overly talkative and overly frank people. School was shut down and after that everyone disappeared into their homes, refusing to walk outside with the danger of contagion. It was terrifying because an outbreak of a virus was highly possible. It scared me how the government could decide to isolate the island and control it with men poised to shoot and rare deliveries. I realized that the truth of self-preservation is this: people can easily turn away and leave the minority, so long as it ensures the safety of the majority. But doing that meant the loss of many lives, the crushing of a thousand hopes and forcing people to live every day of their life thinking that they might drop dead next like their family, friends and neighbors.

I loved seeing Kaelyn grow, accept reality of her not getting what she wanted and living in peace with her rival, Tessa. Her perception about Gav, the popular guy who started the Fight Club on the island, changed. Instead of the popular, somewhat violent guy, she saw someone who deeply cared about the people around him, who would take that extra step to help the ones in need and who would risk his life, his health just to make sure that his objective was fulfilled. Gav and Kaelyn’s relationship was sweet. There was no insta-love. It was very realistic for me.

The Way We Fall was told through Kaelyn’s diary. It was very effective with the abrupt stops, the urgent beginning of another paragraph and its honesty. Really, reading Kaelyn’s diary was like reliving everything that happened to her. Everytime a sentence didn’t finish, I got worried. Everytime she wrote more than one entry a day, I just knew something was wrong.

The Way We Fall is a gripping and touching tale of survival, loss and hope. It’s a dark tale both disheartening and encouraging for dystopian readers. I highly recommend this!

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