We Come Apart by Crossan and Conaghan - OPTIONAL

Crossan, Sarah and Brian Conaghan We Come Apart, 312 pgs. Bloomsbury, 2017.

Language – R (59 swears, 12 “f”), Mature Content – PG; Violence – PG; 

HS – OPTIONAL.

Jess wants to be free of the abusive home she lives in. Nicu wants a fresh start and a new life where he isn’t defined by being a Romanian gypsy. Separate, they feel trapped; together, they find hope.

Crossan and Conaghan tell this story in poem format, and they do the best job at it that I have ever read. Most poem-based novels try to tell the story traditionally, just with more empty space on each page. I feel like the format of poems adds to the story of Jess and Nicu, instead of being simply a style choice. Through the poems, readers understand Jess and Nicu better than if the story was told by a narrator, and I feel that this is especially true with Nicu. In the poems from Nicu’s point of view, readers hear his real voice, which is difficult for him to speak aloud. If not for the language, I would give this book a higher rating. 

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen