If you're on Twitter, you'll probably remember the explosion that was #VeryRealisticYA. What ensued was a whole barrage of amusing and relatable tweets, behind which there was a key message: YA needs to change. It's a wonderful genre, but these tweets did point out some large areas where it's lacking.
But never fear! For those missing the joy of #VeryRealisticYA, Patrick Ness has come to the rescue. He has written an actual, full-length YA novel that embodies all the great things about the hashtag. But let's not forget that The Rest of Us Just Live Here wasn't something that burst into existence during that week.
The Rest of Us Just Live Here is the story of Mikey and his friends, who are pretty much just trying to graduate high school. They've lived through several 'apocalypses' that may or may not be gently poking fun at some popular YA books (vampires, zombies, Gods and Goddesses). Each chapter begins with a snippet telling us about the actual chosen one, Satchel, and her 'indie kid' friends. There are people named Kerouac and Wisconsin, and a number of boys professing their undying love for Satchel not long after meeting her. Whilst all these indie kids run around trying to save the world, Mikey's just attending school and feeling jealous and attending pseudo-One Direction concerts with his little sister. It was hilarious and I loved it in every way possible.
For me, it was the characters that brought this book to life. They're all flawed and complex and real. Mikey's family is kind of dysfunctional: his mother is a politician, people are trying to exploit his older sister's weight problems, Mikey himself has OCD. I wrote that as a list, but really when you read the book, it's not a book of labels. I don't know if these are represented realistically, but they're just parts of the bigger character: Mikey's also jealous, has arguments with his friends, thinks he's in love with Henna. The Rest of Us Just Live Here is a character driven rather than action driven book, so it's good that the characters were fleshed out. Henna was perhaps the only exception, but I couldn't tell if that was because we were seeing her through Mikey's eyes.
So, yes, the plot was perhaps a little less action and a little more teen problems. The strange thing is, though, that I never found myself bored. Things were still happening. I was very emotionally invested in the okay-ness of everyone. The indie kids did all the crazy things like protecting the school and such (whilst missing prom), but it was still weirdly gripping. The writing style was more like that of the Chaos Walking series, with quite a lot of commentary from Mikey – but, for the most part, it flowed effortlessly.
If you're getting tired of the romantic tropes and general Chosen One vibes coming from YA books, then you'll love The Rest of Us Just Live Here. It provides a great tongue-in-cheek commentary to many popular series, but in a way that even fans like me can appreciate and enjoy. The cast is well-written and diverse. Not everything is tied up at the end, but in life it never is. I'd normally recommend a book 'for fans of', but I can't think of another book quite like this – I'm going to be throwing it at any and every person I come across who expresses a vague interest in reading. And all the others, too. I'm just going to recommend it to everyone, okay? It was an ambitious idea, but it was funny and angsty and heartwarming and I absolutely loved it.
• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop.
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