We are Okay

I finished another audio book today!  I've been off work for two days because they suspected I had Shingles!  UGH!  Luckily, my labs came back negative...however, that means they still don't know why I have this stabbing pain in my head behind my left ear.  But, using my right earbud and some computer time, I was able to finish another book, so oh well!  (Also, since my labs were negative, I'm allowed to go back to work tomorrow.)

"We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour was an audio book that just caught my attention at the library the other day.  I hadn't heard anything about it and didn't read any reviews before listening.  With the title, I assumed there would be some type of loss that the main character had to recover from or learn from.  I was right, but there was so much more going on in this somewhat short little story.  (5 discs, which is probably the smallest amount of discs in audios I've listened to so far.)

One thing that really stuck out to me in this story, is how our family is often times more than just our blood relations.  We can find family in friends as well.  Family is more than just who we are related to, it's the people who care about you and are there for you no matter what.  It's the people who welcome you into their home and life when you really need a place to turn.  It's the people that forgive us without question when we let them down and still love us through it all.  Sometimes this is found in relatives, but some people have to look outside of that to find this.  Marin is one of those people.  

Mabel is a friend that all of us should strive for.  She and her family are the kind of people to openly welcome someone who needs family in their life.  When Mabel sees how much Marin needs them, there is no room for anger or bitterness in past actions, there is only the thought of making her see that they are her family now.  It's a lucky person who has never had to experience true loneliness or the need for an "alternate" family.  Most of us, at some point or another, have needed that welcoming presence in our lives.

There is loss in the story.  Marin has to deal with loss on such a huge scale, because she doesn't just lose a family member to death, she discovers things about that family member after they pass that cause a different sort of grieving.  To find out, when it's too late, who someone truly is must be so difficult.  My heart went out to Marin as she reels from her discoveries while processing the loss.

I think that people who enjoy the works of John Green or just Young Adult Contemporary works in general will enjoy this book.

Unlike my last audio book, the narrator did nothing to turn me off to the story.  Her vocal changes for characters was great and I didn't get the sense of over pronunciation that I did from the last one.  She also portrayed the deep emotion that the character was feeling through her voice.  I was impressed.

I'm currently reading "The Here and Now" by Ann Brashares and hope to finish soon.  In the mean time, please feel free to share any thoughts you have on any of my reviews so far.