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We Speak in Storms
It's been more than 50 years since a tornado tore through a drive-in movie theater in tiny Mercer, Illinois, leaving dozens of teens -- a whole generation of Mercerites -- dead in its wake. So when another tornado touches down in the exact same spot on the anniversary of this small-town tragedy, the town is shaken. For Brenna Ortiz, Joshua Calloway, and Callie Keller, the apprehension is more than just a feeling. Though they seem to share nothing more than a struggle to belong, the teens' paths continue to intersect, bringing them together when they least expect it, and perhaps, when they need it most. Both the living and the dead have secrets and unresolved problems, but they may be able to find peace and move forward--if only they work together.
464 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 3, 2019
56 people are currently reading
4424 people want to read
About the author
Natalie Lund
3 books90 followersNatalie Lund is the author of the young adult novels, We Speak in Storms, The Sky Above Us (April 13, 2021), and The Wolves Are Watching (Fall 2022). She is a former middle and high school teacher and a graduate of Purdue University’s MFA program. Natalie is a member of SCBWI and is represented by Sarah Davies of Greenhouse Literary Agency. She lives in Chicago with her spouse and a very talkative cat. You can follow her on Instagram or Twitter at @nmlund.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
October 30, 2019
This is the synopsis of this book:
A powerful and haunting debut novel about friendship, acceptance, and learning to let go as the balance between the living and the dead is upended, perfect for fans of We Were Liars.
It’s been more than 50 years since a tornado tore through a drive-in movie theater in tiny Mercer, Illinois, leaving dozens of teens — a whole generation of Mercerites — dead in its wake. So when another tornado touches down in the exact same spot on the anniversary of this small-town tragedy, the town is shaken. For Brenna Ortiz, Joshua Calloway, and Callie Keller, the apprehension is more than just a feeling. Though they seem to share nothing more than a struggle to belong, the teens’ paths continue to intersect, bringing them together when they least expect it, and perhaps, when they need it most. Both the living and the dead have secrets and unresolved problems, but they may be able to find peace and move forward–if only they work together.
A beautifully told, haunting yet hopeful novel about pushing past the pain, facing the world, and finding yourself.
Here is what you should pay attention to about that synopsis: “Friendship.” “Balance between the living and the dead is upended.” “They may be able to find peace and move forward – if only they work together.” “Haunting yet hopeful.”
Basically, pay attention to everything except “perfect for fans of We Were Liars.”
We Were Liars is a book that has one good thing about it: a fun twist. That’s it.
This is a book about friendship, about pain, about love and life and death and acceptance and tragedy and family and suffering and letting go.
That is a book about “what if this crazy thing happened, and that’s it. That’s the whole book.”
I have said before that magical realism, when well-executed, is my favorite genre. By far. The genre I read most is contemporary, and the genre that disappoints me with the greatest consistency is contemporary. Magical realism is contemporary + magic in a believable way.
What’s not to love.
This is an example of some really lovely magical realism. Sure, the first two hundred pages of this were so boring that I could often be found moping about my home, complaining to all who would hear about the arduous task ahead of me.
But the remaining 250 pages…my friends, prepare for a JOURNEY.
Of all the aforementioned things, plus some quirky teens and a hefty dose of paranormal activity.
What a dream.
Bottom line: A book that makes me Feel Things and also has ghosts in it?! Sign me the hell up.
----------
i am part of a blog tour (!!!) for this book, so you can find my full review of this book (plus other fun stuff) here!
yes, i posted a review the same week i read the book, instead of four months later.
i'm shocked too.
----------
IT WORKED.
review to come soon (on my BLOG!!!) / 3.5 stars
----------
don't mind me, just pulling a classic "attempting to binge read a 450 page book in 2 days or less even though i'm in a slump because i semi-forgot i'm in a blog tour for it."
wish me luck though. (please. i need it.)
(also, thanks to PRH for the copy!)
A powerful and haunting debut novel about friendship, acceptance, and learning to let go as the balance between the living and the dead is upended, perfect for fans of We Were Liars.
It’s been more than 50 years since a tornado tore through a drive-in movie theater in tiny Mercer, Illinois, leaving dozens of teens — a whole generation of Mercerites — dead in its wake. So when another tornado touches down in the exact same spot on the anniversary of this small-town tragedy, the town is shaken. For Brenna Ortiz, Joshua Calloway, and Callie Keller, the apprehension is more than just a feeling. Though they seem to share nothing more than a struggle to belong, the teens’ paths continue to intersect, bringing them together when they least expect it, and perhaps, when they need it most. Both the living and the dead have secrets and unresolved problems, but they may be able to find peace and move forward–if only they work together.
A beautifully told, haunting yet hopeful novel about pushing past the pain, facing the world, and finding yourself.
Here is what you should pay attention to about that synopsis: “Friendship.” “Balance between the living and the dead is upended.” “They may be able to find peace and move forward – if only they work together.” “Haunting yet hopeful.”
Basically, pay attention to everything except “perfect for fans of We Were Liars.”
We Were Liars is a book that has one good thing about it: a fun twist. That’s it.
This is a book about friendship, about pain, about love and life and death and acceptance and tragedy and family and suffering and letting go.
That is a book about “what if this crazy thing happened, and that’s it. That’s the whole book.”
I have said before that magical realism, when well-executed, is my favorite genre. By far. The genre I read most is contemporary, and the genre that disappoints me with the greatest consistency is contemporary. Magical realism is contemporary + magic in a believable way.
What’s not to love.
This is an example of some really lovely magical realism. Sure, the first two hundred pages of this were so boring that I could often be found moping about my home, complaining to all who would hear about the arduous task ahead of me.
But the remaining 250 pages…my friends, prepare for a JOURNEY.
Of all the aforementioned things, plus some quirky teens and a hefty dose of paranormal activity.
What a dream.
Bottom line: A book that makes me Feel Things and also has ghosts in it?! Sign me the hell up.
----------
i am part of a blog tour (!!!) for this book, so you can find my full review of this book (plus other fun stuff) here!
yes, i posted a review the same week i read the book, instead of four months later.
i'm shocked too.
----------
IT WORKED.
review to come soon (on my BLOG!!!) / 3.5 stars
----------
don't mind me, just pulling a classic "attempting to binge read a 450 page book in 2 days or less even though i'm in a slump because i semi-forgot i'm in a blog tour for it."
wish me luck though. (please. i need it.)
(also, thanks to PRH for the copy!)
December 2, 2023
This debut was terrific! Fifty years ago, a tornado tore through rural Illinois, killing fifty teenagers in a small town. The memories of that day haunt the town, and local lore talks of ghosts who haven’t yet moved on. Fifty years later, another tornado comes. This is an interesting tale that’s perfect for a cool fall day, part ghost story, part a story of growing up and not fitting in. It chronicles the story of three teens who are dealing with complex, painful struggles in their lives and at school. Some really good emotional writing, and I liked the way the pov shifts and glimpses back to the past slowly tie everything together.
Trigger Warnings:
Trigger Warnings:
April 30, 2021
CW:
Well I appreciate that this book was tackling some fairly challenging topics however, it was incredibly slow.
I didn't connect with the characters so didn't get the 'feels' that this book seems to have given many Readers. I loved the concept but the pacing was way off for me. The writing was lovely in parts and there were some eerie moments. I'm not going to write much more because I think this was simply a case of 'just not for me'.
Well I appreciate that this book was tackling some fairly challenging topics however, it was incredibly slow.
I didn't connect with the characters so didn't get the 'feels' that this book seems to have given many Readers. I loved the concept but the pacing was way off for me. The writing was lovely in parts and there were some eerie moments. I'm not going to write much more because I think this was simply a case of 'just not for me'.
March 28, 2019
three words: tornado. ghost. book.
put this hauntingly beautiful magical realism story on your radar - full review to come!
put this hauntingly beautiful magical realism story on your radar - full review to come!
October 28, 2019
A touching story about friendship and connecting. Made me teary-eyed at the end. Not at all like We Were Liars (as the blurb hinted at), but that's fine. It had its own haunting, unique message.
August 28, 2019
5/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
We Speak In Storms by Natalie Lund is an absolutely stunning debut novel about friendship, acceptance, and learning to let go.
Fifty years after a tornado tore through a drive-in movie theater in Mercer, Illinois, killing an entire generation of Mercerites- another tornado touches down in the exact same spot, leaving the small town visibly shaken. When three teens (who seem to share nothing more than a struggle to belong in common) continue to run into each other- they begin to suspect that maybe-just maybe their frequent run-ins are more than just a coincidence. In this novel- both the living and the dead have secrets, but if they work together they may be able to find peace and help each other move forward.
Before I say anything else- I'd like to make a prediction! I have no doubt in my mind that this book will end up being one of my top 5 reads of the entire year- IT.WAS.THAT.GOOD! (I'm shouting at all of the people who have yet to add this to their TBR's- WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?)
It's been months since I've read a book that I loved as much as I loved We Speak In Storms! A small part of me connected with each of the characters, and even though there were many tears shed during the reading of this novel- there was so much hope and healing throughout this- and I honestly couldn't recommend it enough!
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
We Speak In Storms by Natalie Lund is an absolutely stunning debut novel about friendship, acceptance, and learning to let go.
Fifty years after a tornado tore through a drive-in movie theater in Mercer, Illinois, killing an entire generation of Mercerites- another tornado touches down in the exact same spot, leaving the small town visibly shaken. When three teens (who seem to share nothing more than a struggle to belong in common) continue to run into each other- they begin to suspect that maybe-just maybe their frequent run-ins are more than just a coincidence. In this novel- both the living and the dead have secrets, but if they work together they may be able to find peace and help each other move forward.
Before I say anything else- I'd like to make a prediction! I have no doubt in my mind that this book will end up being one of my top 5 reads of the entire year- IT.WAS.THAT.GOOD! (I'm shouting at all of the people who have yet to add this to their TBR's- WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?)
It's been months since I've read a book that I loved as much as I loved We Speak In Storms! A small part of me connected with each of the characters, and even though there were many tears shed during the reading of this novel- there was so much hope and healing throughout this- and I honestly couldn't recommend it enough!
January 31, 2023
5/5 stars
Why do I do this to myself…? I knew this was going to hurt, even upon reread and still managed to be an emotional wreck by the end.
We Speak in Storms is an all time favourite for me. It’s got ghosts, grief, tornadoes and small rural spaces, and some of the best coming of age narratives I’ve read in YA. It’s also one of the hardest books I’ve EVER read, as it contains a raw depiction of experiences that hit close to home for me. As someone who generally doesn’t require triggerwarnings, I’m telling you: this book needed them.
Some TW that hit me hard here include: caregiving for terminally ill parent, death of parent, cancer, disordered eating, sexual assault and homophonic language (challenged on page)
Be sure to check yourself and your mental well-being, but íf you are up for an emotional experience through which to maybe exorcise some of your own ghosts; this is a brilliant novel for it.
Why do I do this to myself…? I knew this was going to hurt, even upon reread and still managed to be an emotional wreck by the end.
We Speak in Storms is an all time favourite for me. It’s got ghosts, grief, tornadoes and small rural spaces, and some of the best coming of age narratives I’ve read in YA. It’s also one of the hardest books I’ve EVER read, as it contains a raw depiction of experiences that hit close to home for me. As someone who generally doesn’t require triggerwarnings, I’m telling you: this book needed them.
Some TW that hit me hard here include: caregiving for terminally ill parent, death of parent, cancer, disordered eating, sexual assault and homophonic language (challenged on page)
Be sure to check yourself and your mental well-being, but íf you are up for an emotional experience through which to maybe exorcise some of your own ghosts; this is a brilliant novel for it.
September 6, 2019
"We are many. Fifty-four buried in 1961. Another fifty who made it home with all or most of our bodies, and countless others - friends, parents, lovers - who lived on but because ghosts anyway, always waiting, always aware of the spin."
Be still my beating heart! This was so good and now I'm just reduced to a puddle of tears because I was not expecting this. This is a story about love, loss, hope, and forgiveness served with a side of ghosts and tornadoes. What's not to love?
I'm not going to lie, one of the main reasons I wanted to read this is because for some reason it was giving me all the Twister vibes. I mean, the drive-in movie theater getting torn up by a tornado, the characters all be tied to the storm for their own personal reasons? Yes, please! And I'm so happy to report that this totally lived up to my expectations and then some. We Speak in Storms follows three characters, Brenna, Callie, and Joshua. Each character is dealing with their own issues and are given distinct voices throughout this that make it easy to root for them. Brenna, is one of the few POC in her school and is sick of everyone making assumptions of who she is based off her skin color. Callie, is dealing with her mother dying from cancer by isolating herself from everyone she loves. And Joshua, came out to his entire school only to be ignored and treated as though he's invisible everyday since.
On the anniversary of the October 7, 1961 tornado that killed over 50 people as the tornado ripped through a drive-in movie theater another tornado touches down in almost the exact same spot...and this time the tornado has left a few spirits behind. I loved how the author wove the spirits voices into the story by adding a beautiful touch of magical realism. As readers get further into the story they'll find that each teen in the book is paired up with a spirit that has either died during the 1961 tornado or lost someone who died. Each spirit helps the teens with their internal struggles by learning from the past and the mistakes the spirits feel they made while they were living. In return the teens also help the spirits heal from their regrets, which creates a beautiful cycle of love and forgiveness from the past to the present.
All in all, this debut was FANTASTIC and I cannot wait to read more from the author in the future. I absolutely loved how each character grew throughout this story and the sense of closure the spirits were able to get. It was the perfect mix of spooky and atmospheric without being too over the top and also being an incredibly moving read. I think that this a book that both teens and adults will enjoy because we can find a bit of ourselves whether it be with the characters or the spirits.
Thank you Penguin Teen for sending me a copy of this in exchange for a honest review!
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Be still my beating heart! This was so good and now I'm just reduced to a puddle of tears because I was not expecting this. This is a story about love, loss, hope, and forgiveness served with a side of ghosts and tornadoes. What's not to love?
I'm not going to lie, one of the main reasons I wanted to read this is because for some reason it was giving me all the Twister vibes. I mean, the drive-in movie theater getting torn up by a tornado, the characters all be tied to the storm for their own personal reasons? Yes, please! And I'm so happy to report that this totally lived up to my expectations and then some. We Speak in Storms follows three characters, Brenna, Callie, and Joshua. Each character is dealing with their own issues and are given distinct voices throughout this that make it easy to root for them. Brenna, is one of the few POC in her school and is sick of everyone making assumptions of who she is based off her skin color. Callie, is dealing with her mother dying from cancer by isolating herself from everyone she loves. And Joshua, came out to his entire school only to be ignored and treated as though he's invisible everyday since.
On the anniversary of the October 7, 1961 tornado that killed over 50 people as the tornado ripped through a drive-in movie theater another tornado touches down in almost the exact same spot...and this time the tornado has left a few spirits behind. I loved how the author wove the spirits voices into the story by adding a beautiful touch of magical realism. As readers get further into the story they'll find that each teen in the book is paired up with a spirit that has either died during the 1961 tornado or lost someone who died. Each spirit helps the teens with their internal struggles by learning from the past and the mistakes the spirits feel they made while they were living. In return the teens also help the spirits heal from their regrets, which creates a beautiful cycle of love and forgiveness from the past to the present.
All in all, this debut was FANTASTIC and I cannot wait to read more from the author in the future. I absolutely loved how each character grew throughout this story and the sense of closure the spirits were able to get. It was the perfect mix of spooky and atmospheric without being too over the top and also being an incredibly moving read. I think that this a book that both teens and adults will enjoy because we can find a bit of ourselves whether it be with the characters or the spirits.
Thank you Penguin Teen for sending me a copy of this in exchange for a honest review!
Blog | Twitter | Instagram
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July 17, 2019I loved this book, and I loved it because it was a meaty book filled with my favorite things: small midwest towns, tornados, three very different (and diverse) main characters, ghosts, grief, and regret. Fifty years after Mercer's infamous, deadly tornado, another tornado rolls through, waking the ghosts of those who died in the first storm. The ghosts become close companions to Callie -- currently losing her mother and so much of her stability to cancer; to Joshua -- coming out as gay, in a fat body, with a stepfather who won't accept him at all; and to Brenna -- struggling post-breakup to reconcile her Latina heritage with her current life with a single mother in a small town where she's one of a mere handful of people of color.
Their voices are interwoven with the ghosts, which speak like a Greek chorus.
The language is lush, imagery evocative, and the characters are all rich. This reminded me so much of Jenna Blum's The Stormchasers, and I can't help thinking that this book, while certainly will reach some teen readers, is definitely more an an adult book with teen characters. It's a little too neat and tidy at the end for a book about storms and about ghosts and how both can haunt you and ravage the things you hold close, but....I also felt okay with it as a reader, given that 500 pages of challenges came before.
Their voices are interwoven with the ghosts, which speak like a Greek chorus.
The language is lush, imagery evocative, and the characters are all rich. This reminded me so much of Jenna Blum's The Stormchasers, and I can't help thinking that this book, while certainly will reach some teen readers, is definitely more an an adult book with teen characters. It's a little too neat and tidy at the end for a book about storms and about ghosts and how both can haunt you and ravage the things you hold close, but....I also felt okay with it as a reader, given that 500 pages of challenges came before.
September 7, 2019
A beautifully written meditation on grief, love, and the places that make us who we are. This book flips the David Foster Wallace quote, showing us how every ghost story is really a love story. A must-read for literary YA fans and people who enjoy sharply drawn teenage protagonists.
September 2, 2019
Just a quick mention: I'm supremely sensitive to books with disordered eating. I didn't know that it was going to be included this one, but I went in, still trying to give this a go. The main character that had it was more focused on wanting to feel empty than other reasons for eating disorders. I was able to read through, but I want to make sure others know ahead of time. Please, make sure to read through the rest of the trigger warnings at the bottom of this review since, seriously, there was a lot.
The best way that I can describe this novel is a black and white movie. Seriously, this movie feels like the Wizard of Oz before we went to Oz. It had grit, it had darkness, but there was always shades of light and hope. Whenever I think about it, it definitely feels like storm clouds.
This novel is a bit hard to explain, and I don't think I could even if I tried. It's an emotional read, focused on the characterization and their journeys aided by ghosts - figuratively and literally. We take on Joshua (a kid isolated and bullied because he's gay), Brenna (who doesn't fit at home anywhere - with her pretentious ex-boyfriend, her mother who she's always fighting with, or her Mexican family who thinks she will never be enough), and Callie (whose mother is dying from cancer and days are dwindling down). When a tornado strikes on the same day many years later from one that destroyed the town, these 3 teens find each other, themselves, and much more in the aftermath.
I liked the characters well enough. I didn't love them, but I did root for them. Each had a distinct voice and their own traits. They all had different journeys that they had to go on, and it was intriguing to go on them with them. I can't say that I have a favorite one that I enjoyed reading, because they were all pretty good and interesting - which is quite good since in stories like this, I usually will favor one.
The writing was pretty good. Since it was a magical realism story, it did have an ethereal feel to it that certainly felt like magic. It was atmospheric, and it certainly brought some fascinating mood. The pacing was a bit off. Sometimes character driven novels can get a bit slower paced, but this one kind of dwindled for far more than I wished. I just wanted something to move along, but it kept felt like we were going deeper and deeper instead of going in a linear fashion. I think that was the biggest issue for me, because I felt like I was stuck in the story instead of enjoying it.
The magic realism elements were done well, and it felt organic to the story. Sometimes I can get a bit lost in elements like this, but I enjoyed these ones. The setting and plot were good as well. And I think that's the main thing too - everything was just good in this story? Not great? Just good?? I'm running out of things to say because it was just okay??
rating: Belle because it was good but not great
representation: gay mc, m/m romance, half Mexican mc, fat mc
content warnings: omg so many - eating disorder (more about feeling empty than about weight), sex (not quite consensual), mentions of incest/rape, homophobia (includes slurs and violence), violence, racial slurs, dying/death of parent, drugs - and probably more that I've forgotten because there was a lot
The best way that I can describe this novel is a black and white movie. Seriously, this movie feels like the Wizard of Oz before we went to Oz. It had grit, it had darkness, but there was always shades of light and hope. Whenever I think about it, it definitely feels like storm clouds.
This novel is a bit hard to explain, and I don't think I could even if I tried. It's an emotional read, focused on the characterization and their journeys aided by ghosts - figuratively and literally. We take on Joshua (a kid isolated and bullied because he's gay), Brenna (who doesn't fit at home anywhere - with her pretentious ex-boyfriend, her mother who she's always fighting with, or her Mexican family who thinks she will never be enough), and Callie (whose mother is dying from cancer and days are dwindling down). When a tornado strikes on the same day many years later from one that destroyed the town, these 3 teens find each other, themselves, and much more in the aftermath.
I liked the characters well enough. I didn't love them, but I did root for them. Each had a distinct voice and their own traits. They all had different journeys that they had to go on, and it was intriguing to go on them with them. I can't say that I have a favorite one that I enjoyed reading, because they were all pretty good and interesting - which is quite good since in stories like this, I usually will favor one.
The writing was pretty good. Since it was a magical realism story, it did have an ethereal feel to it that certainly felt like magic. It was atmospheric, and it certainly brought some fascinating mood. The pacing was a bit off. Sometimes character driven novels can get a bit slower paced, but this one kind of dwindled for far more than I wished. I just wanted something to move along, but it kept felt like we were going deeper and deeper instead of going in a linear fashion. I think that was the biggest issue for me, because I felt like I was stuck in the story instead of enjoying it.
The magic realism elements were done well, and it felt organic to the story. Sometimes I can get a bit lost in elements like this, but I enjoyed these ones. The setting and plot were good as well. And I think that's the main thing too - everything was just good in this story? Not great? Just good?? I'm running out of things to say because it was just okay??
rating: Belle because it was good but not great
representation: gay mc, m/m romance, half Mexican mc, fat mc
content warnings: omg so many - eating disorder (more about feeling empty than about weight), sex (not quite consensual), mentions of incest/rape, homophobia (includes slurs and violence), violence, racial slurs, dying/death of parent, drugs - and probably more that I've forgotten because there was a lot
June 10, 2020
Trigger warnings:
Diversity: gay main character, fat main character, biracial main character (half-Mexican, half-American).
A lovely surprise and wonderful debut overall, a little heavy to read at times but still wonderful. Loved the writing, the story and the characters, their relationships and growth was wonderful, too <3 Definitely a debut I'll recommend!
Read my full review of We Speak in Storms on the blog.
A million thank-yous to the lovely Lili for sending me a copy of her ARC thanks to a giveaway she hosted! <3 <3
My Blog - Drizzle & Hurricane Books - Twitter - Bloglovin'
Diversity: gay main character, fat main character, biracial main character (half-Mexican, half-American).
A lovely surprise and wonderful debut overall, a little heavy to read at times but still wonderful. Loved the writing, the story and the characters, their relationships and growth was wonderful, too <3 Definitely a debut I'll recommend!
Read my full review of We Speak in Storms on the blog.
A million thank-yous to the lovely Lili for sending me a copy of her ARC thanks to a giveaway she hosted! <3 <3
My Blog - Drizzle & Hurricane Books - Twitter - Bloglovin'
January 5, 2020
This and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd
MY THOUGHTS
I did not find out about this book until right before it came out (which meant that I did not have to wait long to read it!). I immediately found the synopsis intriguing. I love stories featuring magical realism and midwestern settings!
Over 50 years ago, a tornado devastated a small town after hitting a drive-in, killing almost an entire generation. Everyone in the town knows someone in their family who died that day and every time the tornado sirens go off, there is that fear that another one will come. Now a tornado has come, on the anniversary of that tornado, and in the exact same spot the drive-in once stood. Old cars that were not there before appear, and three teens each find a stranger in their lives.
This book was wonderfully written. It follows three teenagers, each having their own struggles, but the book also follows the dead of the small town (not just the ones who died in the tornado). They speak as a collective group, but occasionally share their stories, as well as what they have seen. It was a very interesting way to present the book. I did not expect ghosts to be in this book, but the way the ghosts are presented is not in a horror way. The closest I can maybe call it are guardian angels, but they are not really that either. Just that the ghosts are not there to be feared, they are simply a part of the town. The strangers the main characters meet have each experienced something similar to what they are currently facing, so they are there to talk with them. I do wish I heard more stories from the past. As sad as they were, I also felt sad that some stories were not known by the people currently living in the town.
IN CONCLUSION
Despite the small paranormal elements, this book felt entirely real. I am writing this review months after reading this book so it is clear that I am still thinking about it. I hope to read more from Natalie Lund in the future.
MY THOUGHTS
I did not find out about this book until right before it came out (which meant that I did not have to wait long to read it!). I immediately found the synopsis intriguing. I love stories featuring magical realism and midwestern settings!
Over 50 years ago, a tornado devastated a small town after hitting a drive-in, killing almost an entire generation. Everyone in the town knows someone in their family who died that day and every time the tornado sirens go off, there is that fear that another one will come. Now a tornado has come, on the anniversary of that tornado, and in the exact same spot the drive-in once stood. Old cars that were not there before appear, and three teens each find a stranger in their lives.
This book was wonderfully written. It follows three teenagers, each having their own struggles, but the book also follows the dead of the small town (not just the ones who died in the tornado). They speak as a collective group, but occasionally share their stories, as well as what they have seen. It was a very interesting way to present the book. I did not expect ghosts to be in this book, but the way the ghosts are presented is not in a horror way. The closest I can maybe call it are guardian angels, but they are not really that either. Just that the ghosts are not there to be feared, they are simply a part of the town. The strangers the main characters meet have each experienced something similar to what they are currently facing, so they are there to talk with them. I do wish I heard more stories from the past. As sad as they were, I also felt sad that some stories were not known by the people currently living in the town.
IN CONCLUSION
Despite the small paranormal elements, this book felt entirely real. I am writing this review months after reading this book so it is clear that I am still thinking about it. I hope to read more from Natalie Lund in the future.
September 29, 2019
A book that will echo with me for a while because of the richness of its three main characters, their gentle and heartfelt contending with the past, and its grace in handling the resurfacing of a tragedy in a small Illinois town fifty years later. Natalie Lund has created three teen protagonists who could each have carried a book themselves as rich, flawed, and tough young people, but the confluence of events that bring them together weaves together a story even more powerful than it would be separately. Never over the top or loud in its telling, We Speak in Storms's mysteries are amplified by the very real pain, heartache, and grief experienced by these young people who forge ahead tentatively and bravely. I recommend this first novel fully to everyone. Its ending is especially powerful. Wow.
November 24, 2019
This book gives the old expression 'he didn't stand a ghost of a chance' a whole new meaning. It's also not an easy story to categorize. Yes, it's a ghost story, but it's also a love story, one about healing and certainly a coming of age story. All of these elements are masterfully blended to create a tale that's compelling and emotional. It's very satisfying, features a large cast of very sympathetic characters and leaves the reader smiling, if not trying to hide a tear or two. I look forward to more from this author.
November 21, 2019
I didn't realize it was Young Adult until I started reading it maybe that's why I didn't find the story that exciting. Reading the back cover just sounded so good, but the characters were really dull.
January 1, 2022
Rep: Latina mc, gay mc
CWs: implied child sexual abuse, animal abuse, cancer, death of a parent, homophobia, homophobic slurs, racism, sexual assault/rape, eating disorder
CWs: implied child sexual abuse, animal abuse, cancer, death of a parent, homophobia, homophobic slurs, racism, sexual assault/rape, eating disorder
September 20, 2019
This book somehow pulled a 4 star rating out of me even though I can't quite put my finger on a single contributing factor. I'm a sucker for a Midwest setting and then throw in a natural disaster and I'm all in, apparently. I liked how the story started off with a strong thread toward the 1961 tornado and then slowly evolved into being more of a story about the current teenagers of Mercer, Illinois.
Not quite adult and yet not quite true YA either, this book has a chance for crossover appeal if it doesn't fall into the publishing abyss of slightly-above-average-writing.
Not quite adult and yet not quite true YA either, this book has a chance for crossover appeal if it doesn't fall into the publishing abyss of slightly-above-average-writing.
August 15, 2022
we speak in storms, and the storms say "AHOAIHOIHAOFNSKDJFHAKJSDHASD"
November 2, 2019
I don't tend to read magical realism that often, but I saw this on the shelf and thought, "what a great way to start out my spooky-ish October reading". I get really scared by the slightest things, so I thought that this book would be a nice balance of mystery, but not to scary.
Now that I've read it, I still think that it wasn't that scary, which was good for me, but I found a bunch of other problems with it that just prevented me from enjoying this book.
Problem One: this really is just a personal problem but I know that there are a majority of people who feel the same way. If a novel is going to cover serious topics that could genuinely trigger people who are sensitive to such topics, then there either HAS to be a trigger warning on the back of the book, or something in the synopsis of the book that at least hints at the topics that will be discussed. There was absolutely nothing in the summary on the inside flap of this book that indicated that there would be not only one, but several triggering things, a character with an eating disorder, sexual assault, and homophobic comments to name a few. I know that some people don't need the warnings and can handle reading about these things in their books, but for the sensitive readers out there, PLEASE give us some sort of notice so that we know what we're going into.
Problem Two: There are two timelines in this book, the one in the present, and the one with the ghosts speaking about their past. The main characters are supposed to be in the present timeline, but I found myself more interested in the past timeline instead. The 3 main characters of the book felt flat, like the one problem that the author gave each of them defined who they were. I enjoyed the past timeline and what little we get to see of it, but even that story line had some issues, the main one being that right as something interesting in that timeline happened, the book would go back to the present, and the next time we see the past point of view, it would be focused on something completely different than it's previous chapter. I think it would have been nice if the past timeline just kept to one story line the entire time. This definitely would have made it easier to follow.
Final problem: the things that this book tries to portray, aka: lgbt+ youth and eating disorders, portrays them incorrectly. This book is SO full of stereotypes when it comes portraying these things. There's even a line early on in the book where the supposed gay main character assumes another man's sexuality just because of a head nod(pg. 123). I'm not sure how a head nod can make someone "look gay", but I thought it unfair to guess at a stranger's sexuality based on this one thing. Speaking as someone who has gone through an eating disorder, I was very disappointed on the interpretation that this book took to it. I know that everyone is different and people can experience this disorder in different ways, but the way the book described it just felt like a general description from someone who had never had or seen someone with the actual disorder. It's really a hit or miss with books about mental health and disorders: either it's great and genuine because the author either has or is close to someone with the disorder that they are portraying, or it's generic because all the author went off of was research and basic facts found on the internet. Maybe some people who haven't had this disorder can get passed this generic depiction of it, but as someone who struggled with it for a long time, I just felt really bothered while reading this.
Anyways, the rest of the book was decent. The plot was interesting but took way to long to unfold, which made the book feel boring a couple of times. Overall, I didn't like this book as much as I thought I would. I hope someone else has a better time with it:)
Now that I've read it, I still think that it wasn't that scary, which was good for me, but I found a bunch of other problems with it that just prevented me from enjoying this book.
Problem One: this really is just a personal problem but I know that there are a majority of people who feel the same way. If a novel is going to cover serious topics that could genuinely trigger people who are sensitive to such topics, then there either HAS to be a trigger warning on the back of the book, or something in the synopsis of the book that at least hints at the topics that will be discussed. There was absolutely nothing in the summary on the inside flap of this book that indicated that there would be not only one, but several triggering things, a character with an eating disorder, sexual assault, and homophobic comments to name a few. I know that some people don't need the warnings and can handle reading about these things in their books, but for the sensitive readers out there, PLEASE give us some sort of notice so that we know what we're going into.
Problem Two: There are two timelines in this book, the one in the present, and the one with the ghosts speaking about their past. The main characters are supposed to be in the present timeline, but I found myself more interested in the past timeline instead. The 3 main characters of the book felt flat, like the one problem that the author gave each of them defined who they were. I enjoyed the past timeline and what little we get to see of it, but even that story line had some issues, the main one being that right as something interesting in that timeline happened, the book would go back to the present, and the next time we see the past point of view, it would be focused on something completely different than it's previous chapter. I think it would have been nice if the past timeline just kept to one story line the entire time. This definitely would have made it easier to follow.
Final problem: the things that this book tries to portray, aka: lgbt+ youth and eating disorders, portrays them incorrectly. This book is SO full of stereotypes when it comes portraying these things. There's even a line early on in the book where the supposed gay main character assumes another man's sexuality just because of a head nod(pg. 123). I'm not sure how a head nod can make someone "look gay", but I thought it unfair to guess at a stranger's sexuality based on this one thing. Speaking as someone who has gone through an eating disorder, I was very disappointed on the interpretation that this book took to it. I know that everyone is different and people can experience this disorder in different ways, but the way the book described it just felt like a general description from someone who had never had or seen someone with the actual disorder. It's really a hit or miss with books about mental health and disorders: either it's great and genuine because the author either has or is close to someone with the disorder that they are portraying, or it's generic because all the author went off of was research and basic facts found on the internet. Maybe some people who haven't had this disorder can get passed this generic depiction of it, but as someone who struggled with it for a long time, I just felt really bothered while reading this.
Anyways, the rest of the book was decent. The plot was interesting but took way to long to unfold, which made the book feel boring a couple of times. Overall, I didn't like this book as much as I thought I would. I hope someone else has a better time with it:)
June 21, 2020
We Speak in Storms by Natalie Lund, 451 pages. Philomel (Penguin), 2019. $18.
Content: Language: R (37 swears; 7 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG-13; Violence: PG-13.
BUYING ADVISORY: HS – OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Three teens who are fifteen and sixteen, feel a pull to figure out what happened to some teens who were killed in a tornado fifty years ago. Brenna Ortiz feels lost since her boyfriend dumped her and she meets a girl named Dot, who seems to understand Brenna in a way nobody else does. Joshua is tired of being teased or ignored for being gay in his tiny town of Mercer, so when he sees a new tenant move in across the street, he starts to hope that somebody will finally understand him. Callie is losing her mom to cancer, and losing herself in the process, but when an elderly woman comes into her life, Callie starts to gain control of what feels like an uncontrollable situation. The problem with all of the new people in Callie, Brenna and Joshua’s life is that nobody else can see them because they are ghosts and they have their own pains to work through.
The premise of this novel intrigued me, and I really did enjoy the growth that each character had dealing with their own issues. My biggest complaint is that the build up was slow and repetitive. The characters were whiny, saw themselves as victims and were selfish in the beginning, and that carried on for the bulk of the book, making them hard to like. I’m not certain readers will be patient to the end to get to the redemption. The content includes mention of child molesting, underage drinking and smoking, crass sexual references, animal abuse, a hate-fueled assault and sexual assault.
Reviewer, C. Peterson
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2020...
Content: Language: R (37 swears; 7 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG-13; Violence: PG-13.
BUYING ADVISORY: HS – OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Three teens who are fifteen and sixteen, feel a pull to figure out what happened to some teens who were killed in a tornado fifty years ago. Brenna Ortiz feels lost since her boyfriend dumped her and she meets a girl named Dot, who seems to understand Brenna in a way nobody else does. Joshua is tired of being teased or ignored for being gay in his tiny town of Mercer, so when he sees a new tenant move in across the street, he starts to hope that somebody will finally understand him. Callie is losing her mom to cancer, and losing herself in the process, but when an elderly woman comes into her life, Callie starts to gain control of what feels like an uncontrollable situation. The problem with all of the new people in Callie, Brenna and Joshua’s life is that nobody else can see them because they are ghosts and they have their own pains to work through.
The premise of this novel intrigued me, and I really did enjoy the growth that each character had dealing with their own issues. My biggest complaint is that the build up was slow and repetitive. The characters were whiny, saw themselves as victims and were selfish in the beginning, and that carried on for the bulk of the book, making them hard to like. I’m not certain readers will be patient to the end to get to the redemption. The content includes mention of child molesting, underage drinking and smoking, crass sexual references, animal abuse, a hate-fueled assault and sexual assault.
Reviewer, C. Peterson
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2020...
January 15, 2020
This is such a strong debut. I think it really hits the mark when it comes to feeling mostly like a YA contemporary with some speculative/supernatural elements thrown in.
Brenna, Joshua, and Callie are not friends. But after a huge storm comes through town on the 50th anniversary of a deadly tornado, their lives become intertwined. As they each deal with difficult things in their own lives (Joshua: coming out and being bullied, Callie: an disordered eating and a parent with a terminal illness, and Brenna: being Mexican-American in a town that’s almost completely white) they also start seeing and hearing strange things related to that storm from 50 years ago.
The characters are all fleshed out and have their own voices. The story is pretty slow, most definitely more focused on the characters rather than a fast-paced plot. The writing is also gorgeous. I especially liked the little sections that were almost written like a Greek chorus from the POV of the collective spirits of the town.
This book is over 450 pages long, so I do think it probably could’ve been cut down a tiny bit to make the story a little bit tighter. But overall I think this is a very moving story.
Brenna, Joshua, and Callie are not friends. But after a huge storm comes through town on the 50th anniversary of a deadly tornado, their lives become intertwined. As they each deal with difficult things in their own lives (Joshua: coming out and being bullied, Callie: an disordered eating and a parent with a terminal illness, and Brenna: being Mexican-American in a town that’s almost completely white) they also start seeing and hearing strange things related to that storm from 50 years ago.
The characters are all fleshed out and have their own voices. The story is pretty slow, most definitely more focused on the characters rather than a fast-paced plot. The writing is also gorgeous. I especially liked the little sections that were almost written like a Greek chorus from the POV of the collective spirits of the town.
This book is over 450 pages long, so I do think it probably could’ve been cut down a tiny bit to make the story a little bit tighter. But overall I think this is a very moving story.
June 16, 2020
A beautifully written story of how important it is to not only find yourself..but even more important to find friends worth fighting for. The book was filled with very descriptive text that easily let the reader form pictures of a small mid-west town...a deadly tornado... three very different and diverse main characters...ghosts...bonds of friendship... grief, and regret. I know without a doubt that this book will reach and touch teen readers but it also has the ability to appeal to the adults in the reading world.
Want to read
January 27, 2018"...magical realism..."
Sign me the frick up.
Sign me the frick up.
September 6, 2019
Beautiful debut. Characters with depth and warmth and charm. This book made me cry and smile and celebrate.
September 19, 2019
4.25 out of 5 stars.
On the surface, this book is about awkward teenagers going through trials and finally coming into themselves.
But the power in this book!
The struggles are valid, and the book was...wait for it...poignant. There's that word that many people use to describe so many books that it's lost it's intended effect. But it is a truth for this book. From dictionary.com: "affecting or moving the emotions."
There's Brenna - a Mexican-American teenager who doesn't fit it. Her Hispanic family doesn't respect her or her mother's choices, and constantly berate her for not knowing Spanish and not being "flacca," and on and on. This hit close to home. My mother is Hispanic (third generation Mexican), and my father is white. My mother was hit with rules by her teachers for speaking Spanish and as a result doesn't speak it as fluently as she once did and didn't teach me how to speak it. But everyone in a white town knows who is who and in my early childhood I got called some pretty choice racial slurs. In my teenage years, after having moving to San Antonio, people expected me to be able to converse with them in a language I didn't know.
Joshua is gay with a stepfather who doesn't understand, a mother who doesn't notice, and classmates who have turned their back on him, making him effectually invisible. He is almost angry, but most of all he is broken. He just wants to make a connection. He consoles himself with his brilliant drawings. It hurt to read this and it made me reach out to my own teenage son. We accepted him when he came out, but I really needed to know that his classmates didn't make him feel like Joshua. It killed me to read about his feelings.
Callie's mother is dying of cancer, and Callie just wants to empty herself. It touches on how she feels around her mother, how she feels ashamed of her feelings. There's points in this book that were brutal reminders of what it was to watch my father pass from ALS.
The three come together when, on the anniversary of a tornado that nearly wiped out an entire generation, another tornado rips through very nearly the same place that the prior one had decades earlier. Almost immediately, the three make connections with people who seem to know too much about them to be strangers, but who appear to have their best interests at heart.
They also find each other.
Beautifully and sensitively written.
On the surface, this book is about awkward teenagers going through trials and finally coming into themselves.
But the power in this book!
The struggles are valid, and the book was...wait for it...poignant. There's that word that many people use to describe so many books that it's lost it's intended effect. But it is a truth for this book. From dictionary.com: "affecting or moving the emotions."
There's Brenna - a Mexican-American teenager who doesn't fit it. Her Hispanic family doesn't respect her or her mother's choices, and constantly berate her for not knowing Spanish and not being "flacca," and on and on. This hit close to home. My mother is Hispanic (third generation Mexican), and my father is white. My mother was hit with rules by her teachers for speaking Spanish and as a result doesn't speak it as fluently as she once did and didn't teach me how to speak it. But everyone in a white town knows who is who and in my early childhood I got called some pretty choice racial slurs. In my teenage years, after having moving to San Antonio, people expected me to be able to converse with them in a language I didn't know.
Joshua is gay with a stepfather who doesn't understand, a mother who doesn't notice, and classmates who have turned their back on him, making him effectually invisible. He is almost angry, but most of all he is broken. He just wants to make a connection. He consoles himself with his brilliant drawings. It hurt to read this and it made me reach out to my own teenage son. We accepted him when he came out, but I really needed to know that his classmates didn't make him feel like Joshua. It killed me to read about his feelings.
Callie's mother is dying of cancer, and Callie just wants to empty herself. It touches on how she feels around her mother, how she feels ashamed of her feelings. There's points in this book that were brutal reminders of what it was to watch my father pass from ALS.
The three come together when, on the anniversary of a tornado that nearly wiped out an entire generation, another tornado rips through very nearly the same place that the prior one had decades earlier. Almost immediately, the three make connections with people who seem to know too much about them to be strangers, but who appear to have their best interests at heart.
They also find each other.
Beautifully and sensitively written.
January 1, 2025
I had picked up this hefty book at a used book sale, thinking it was adult fiction, and was surprised to find YA angst and just pages and pages of writing and exposition and telling and explaining and what seemed to be a huge amount of repetition. The three main characters’ voices were distinct enough but they seemed to keep saying the same things over and over. At 464 pages this could have trimmed off 200 and still been a coherent story. I was confused about the timeline of the story - it appeared to take place 50 years after a devastating cyclone killed a number of teens in 1961 - but turned out to be set in 2017. An obituary for someone said he was born in 1944 and died in 2017 at the age of 71 which I couldn’t figure out - was the discrepancy part of the plot? Part of the story is told by a chorus of dead teens from the 1971 cyclone which gave a bit of Our Town depth, but that became such a large part of the plot and I dislike magic realism and it ceased to be entertaining for me. Skipped through to the end and wasn’t impressed by the ending but I can see why some teens would have enjoyed this. 2 1/2 stars
June 24, 2020
A very quiet book, that will sneak up on you, and hit you in the feels.
A half a century after a tornado left many bodies in its wake, three teens, each struggling with something, connect with people from that past event, as well as each other. Through these connections, they are able to work through their pain, and come to terms with these difficult parts of their lives. Their stories were pretty heartbreaking, and there were tears from me, but in the end, I appreciated the bond they formed, and the personal growth each of them experienced.
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A half a century after a tornado left many bodies in its wake, three teens, each struggling with something, connect with people from that past event, as well as each other. Through these connections, they are able to work through their pain, and come to terms with these difficult parts of their lives. Their stories were pretty heartbreaking, and there were tears from me, but in the end, I appreciated the bond they formed, and the personal growth each of them experienced.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
November 15, 2019
I’m finally bookstagramming my OcTBR reads! (Badly, bc it’s now November). This lovely, lightly supernatural YA was a perfect read for cozy-spooky fall vibes. The ghosts of Mercer communicate and travel to the world of the living through tornados (how cool is that?) Three ghosts find three teenagers who badly need a little supernatural guidance in navigating some of life’s most difficult challenges. A beautiful book that often made me tear up. Lund’s prose is gorgeous yet accessible, and I was struck by how perfectly she captured the experience of growing up an outsider in small-town Illinois, which was my adolescence to a T.
June 23, 2021
I feel that maybe two stars is a little harsh on this book, however it was one of those reads where I didn’t enjoy the story but understood where the author why trying to take it. I give we speak in storms two stars for three reasons. One, there were no aspects of the plot I didn’t guess; no twists, questions, or anything that kept me wanting to read. As soon as I got to know the characters, I knew what their fate would be. Secondly, I was missing that ah hah moment where you finally realize what significant message the author has to share. I would definitely say her characters grew but it was a black and white growth that didn’t resemble real life. A problem was clearly identified at the start of the book, and each character was able to overcome that problem. I didn’t really see a struggle or humane part of their growth, it just kind of happened. I guess my problem was that instead of learning something that applies to the life experience, I heard an author’s opinion about life. Finally, I think that I had a problem with the fact that the writing wasn’t able to move me to a strong emotion. Usually, I can experience feelings along with my characters because the writing brings the world to life, but I didn’t get that with this book.
So that’s my review, but I definitely believe this book has potential to speak to someone, even if it’s not me. I stand by my belief that the only good way to judge a book is if you read it yourself- so check this one out.
So that’s my review, but I definitely believe this book has potential to speak to someone, even if it’s not me. I stand by my belief that the only good way to judge a book is if you read it yourself- so check this one out.
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