When we were monsters by Jennifer Niven

Niven herself confesses to having enjoyed books in her youth that left her “in a constant state of chilled, delicious unease” and in this book she has managed to share that experience with a new generation of YA readers. This book is set within a gothic-inspired educational institution in the USA with a cohort of mostly privileged teens who each carry their own strengths in the creative writing arena, but they also bear personal weaknesses and struggles. In a term-break in the bleak cold weather of a snowy winter, a specially selected cohort is chosen to participate in a live-in competitive creative writing workshop that also involves a psychological ‘deep-dive’ to support their creative process. The leader of this workshop is herself an old-scholar and successful author who has succeeded despite a problematic book released with the accusations of plagiarism, and the pall of the death of her classmate during a similar workshop. Her leadership is both creatively influential and suspect, but each teen is feeling the power of the insights she shines on their writing. But for those who grieve, who battle insecurity within their families or friendship circles, or the challenge of resurrecting a romantic relationship, there is a growing sense of discomfort and doubt about the patron who leads them, but who also has the power to dismiss them with minimal notice. Is she to be trusted at all or is she a monster? 

This book is compelling and darkly intriguing. The dark thriller carries an ominous and eerie atmosphere over an ‘academic experience’ that is designed to offer an impressive reward to the participants. When competition creates divides between fellow students that make them feel manipulated and undermined, there is also a psycho-social threat over them. This is reminiscent of the ‘Hunger Games’ challenge amongst teens and the tension is akin to E Lockhart’s YA thrillers. The injection of distrust and the foreboding storm-like weather adds its own dark tension. The romance aspect (two teens restore a physical and romantic relationship that had essentially disintegrated prior to the workshop experience) is woven with grief and friendship dilemmas and other concerns for the teen participants. Can they survive to tell their stories? The manipulation of them all is evident, but as readers we are constantly left wondering if it is we who are being manipulated. This is an awesome YA thriller for readers aged 15+. Niven can create a dramatic storyline while also giving hints about how to write well, so those who want to explore life as a writer will also find gems within the pages. This story would make an excellent Teen film! (Ironically, this is exactly what Niven implies happens in the novel itself.)

Themes: Thriller, USA education and students, Privilege, Mystery, Romance, Friendship, Competition, Creativity, Grief.

Carolyn Hull