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We Can Only Save Ourselves
With echoes of The Virgin Suicides and The Fates Will Find Their Way, Alison Wisdom’s debut novel is the story of one teenage girl’s unlikely indoctrination and the reverberations in the tight-knit community she leaves behind.
Alice Lange’s neighbors are proud to know her—a high-achieving student, cheerleader, and all-around good citizen, she’s a perfect emblem of their sunny neighborhood. The night before she’s expected to be crowned Homecoming Queen, though, she commits an act of vandalism, then disappears, following a magnetic stranger named Wesley to a bungalow in another part of the state. There, he promises, Alice can be her true self, shedding the shackles of conformity.
At the bungalow, however, she learns that four other young women seeking enlightenment and adventure have already followed him there. Her new lifestyle is intoxicating at first, but as Wesley’s demands on all of them increase, the house becomes a pressure cooker—until one day they reach the point of no return.
Back home, the story of Alice’s disappearance and radicalization is framed by the first-person plural chorus of the mothers who knew her before, who worry about her, but also resent the tear she made in the fabric of their perfect world, one that exposes the question: Isn’t suburbia a kind of cult unto itself?
Combining the sharp social critique of Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere with the elegiac beauty of Emma Cline’s The Girls, this is a fierce literary debut from a writer to watch.
Alice Lange’s neighbors are proud to know her—a high-achieving student, cheerleader, and all-around good citizen, she’s a perfect emblem of their sunny neighborhood. The night before she’s expected to be crowned Homecoming Queen, though, she commits an act of vandalism, then disappears, following a magnetic stranger named Wesley to a bungalow in another part of the state. There, he promises, Alice can be her true self, shedding the shackles of conformity.
At the bungalow, however, she learns that four other young women seeking enlightenment and adventure have already followed him there. Her new lifestyle is intoxicating at first, but as Wesley’s demands on all of them increase, the house becomes a pressure cooker—until one day they reach the point of no return.
Back home, the story of Alice’s disappearance and radicalization is framed by the first-person plural chorus of the mothers who knew her before, who worry about her, but also resent the tear she made in the fabric of their perfect world, one that exposes the question: Isn’t suburbia a kind of cult unto itself?
Combining the sharp social critique of Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere with the elegiac beauty of Emma Cline’s The Girls, this is a fierce literary debut from a writer to watch.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published February 2, 2021
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11825 people want to read
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March 31, 2021
this one didn’t wow me. it felt like a megan abbott book with all the tastiest morsels strained out of it, leaving only the thin broth behind.
it’s about a good teenaged girl from a good neighborhood who falls under the sway of a charismatic older man and runs away to live with him and a handful of equally-besotted girls in a hippie-harem where he proceeds to strip them of their names and expand their narrow worldviews with sex and drugs and stories of the coming apocalypse that they alone will survive and be like gods in the wasteland or whatever, eventually inciting them to acts of violence to help bring it about. also, he plays guitar.
but even though one of his (former) girls was (re)named sadie, this is not charles manson, it’s a guy named wesley. and wesley plucks alice from suburbia, willingly leaving her family and friends behind, and feeling only a little bit guilty about the emotional devastation she’s setting in motion.
the device of being narrated in large chunks by the collective we/us chorus of the neighborhood’s mothers bemoaning the loss of alice from their lives bugged me because i couldn’t help but compare it (unfavorably) to the virgin suicides, and because it felt claustrophobic and obsessive—like, don’t these ladies have anything better to do than fixate on this teenage girl and extol her beyond all reason?
this can be sort of accepted if you interpret that she is not alice, she is Symbol—she is standing in for all lost innocence, squandered potential, all the children grown away from their clutches, and her perfection is inflated in memory because it is no longer there to admire.
i mean, maybe. because even before she disappears, there’s a lot of time spent on everyone’s preoccupation with her—how beautiful, how smart, how good and kind, and she exhibits all the confidence of someone who has been told their entire life that they’re special. she’s been primed for worship, which is its own trap, because, bolstered by this belief, when faced with her first real social disappointment, alice reacts by committing an act of vandalism that leaves the town aghast before running off with a man prepared to nurture her idea of her innate specialness by assuring her it’s not only real, it’s even bigger than she’d understood.
‘course, alice is no more alice to wesley than she is to her former neighbors and classmates. she’s something to refine, reshape, exploit; a vessel for his ideologies and his penis to fill.
i liked the beginning of the book—i thought she captured alice’s restlessness; the nameless yearning of an adolescent female impatient for her life to begin. and there were moments of very megan abbott-y prose:
i even understand why alice was drawn to wesley at first; he flattered her, he’d been places, and wherever he went, people were drawn to him, but once she was installed in that house, once there was so much competition for his affections, once things…escalated…what kept her there? i understand how cults work, i understand how people like charles manson groomed his followers and got them to commit violent acts, but alice doesn’t seem to be the type, doesn’t seem to have the temperament for it. she has her romantic notion of signs, and her belief that she was meant for big things, away from the small minds and ambitions of where she grew up, but i never felt convinced, reading this, that alice would have tolerated being one-paramour-among-many, let alone thrived in those circumstances. once the girls settle into their roles in the house, with their odd friendships and small defiances against wesley, the competitive aspect fades, but alice's transition into their ranks seemed too smooth for her personality.
and, frankly, i never understood what made wesley so goldang special. or her, for that matter.
back to the chorus element, because it really did bug me—i never understood its purpose, what it was meant to contribute to the story, other than paralleling suburban life and expectations with cult livin’. the voices were too-knowing, commenting on alice’s life away as though they were witnesses to it; some all-seeing entity:
it wasn’t a bad idea, just executed a little clumsily. the ‘when’ of this also bothered me; the not knowing when this took place, other than a vaguely distant postwar american past, anytime USA.
overall, i thought it was fine. the characters of the other girls—particularly apple and kathryn—made for interesting dynamics, i love stories of female rage and this one definitely goes dark, and i thought some of the writing was excellent. i just wasn’t entirely convinced by alice’s transformation, i didn’t feel wesley’s magnetism was there on the page, and did i mention that the chorus element cheesed me off?
still, a strong debut.
come to my blog!!
it’s about a good teenaged girl from a good neighborhood who falls under the sway of a charismatic older man and runs away to live with him and a handful of equally-besotted girls in a hippie-harem where he proceeds to strip them of their names and expand their narrow worldviews with sex and drugs and stories of the coming apocalypse that they alone will survive and be like gods in the wasteland or whatever, eventually inciting them to acts of violence to help bring it about. also, he plays guitar.
but even though one of his (former) girls was (re)named sadie, this is not charles manson, it’s a guy named wesley. and wesley plucks alice from suburbia, willingly leaving her family and friends behind, and feeling only a little bit guilty about the emotional devastation she’s setting in motion.
the device of being narrated in large chunks by the collective we/us chorus of the neighborhood’s mothers bemoaning the loss of alice from their lives bugged me because i couldn’t help but compare it (unfavorably) to the virgin suicides, and because it felt claustrophobic and obsessive—like, don’t these ladies have anything better to do than fixate on this teenage girl and extol her beyond all reason?
We missed Alice right away. There are some people in our lives whose absence might go unnoticed for days: the freckled woman who bagged groceries at the store, the crossing guard at the intersection by the elementary school. Bot not noticing Alice was gone—it would be like walking outside and not noticing that all the trees had disappeared, leaving our world without respite from the sun, without clean air to breathe, without beauty. She was special, yes, but she also made everyone around her special too. And it wasn’t simply that we felt special. We became special. We were transformed.
this can be sort of accepted if you interpret that she is not alice, she is Symbol—she is standing in for all lost innocence, squandered potential, all the children grown away from their clutches, and her perfection is inflated in memory because it is no longer there to admire.
i mean, maybe. because even before she disappears, there’s a lot of time spent on everyone’s preoccupation with her—how beautiful, how smart, how good and kind, and she exhibits all the confidence of someone who has been told their entire life that they’re special. she’s been primed for worship, which is its own trap, because, bolstered by this belief, when faced with her first real social disappointment, alice reacts by committing an act of vandalism that leaves the town aghast before running off with a man prepared to nurture her idea of her innate specialness by assuring her it’s not only real, it’s even bigger than she’d understood.
‘course, alice is no more alice to wesley than she is to her former neighbors and classmates. she’s something to refine, reshape, exploit; a vessel for his ideologies and his penis to fill.
i liked the beginning of the book—i thought she captured alice’s restlessness; the nameless yearning of an adolescent female impatient for her life to begin. and there were moments of very megan abbott-y prose:
Below the bleachers, spanning the length of the gym, the cheerleaders, Alice among them, stood in an evenly spaced line and clapped and bounced. They raised their voices in a rallying cry. They would fight and prevail, Alice yelled and chanted with the other ponytailed girls, unable to hear her own voice over the roar they made together. The man hadn’t been on the sidewalk that morning after all, and the wanting inside her had yawned and stretched, but now it was filled with applause and drums and girls standing beside her. They looked at each other and smiled. Look at the frenzy they could whip up with their bodies, their voices. Look at the wildness. What else was there to want when you had all this power?
i even understand why alice was drawn to wesley at first; he flattered her, he’d been places, and wherever he went, people were drawn to him, but once she was installed in that house, once there was so much competition for his affections, once things…escalated…what kept her there? i understand how cults work, i understand how people like charles manson groomed his followers and got them to commit violent acts, but alice doesn’t seem to be the type, doesn’t seem to have the temperament for it. she has her romantic notion of signs, and her belief that she was meant for big things, away from the small minds and ambitions of where she grew up, but i never felt convinced, reading this, that alice would have tolerated being one-paramour-among-many, let alone thrived in those circumstances. once the girls settle into their roles in the house, with their odd friendships and small defiances against wesley, the competitive aspect fades, but alice's transition into their ranks seemed too smooth for her personality.
and, frankly, i never understood what made wesley so goldang special. or her, for that matter.
back to the chorus element, because it really did bug me—i never understood its purpose, what it was meant to contribute to the story, other than paralleling suburban life and expectations with cult livin’. the voices were too-knowing, commenting on alice’s life away as though they were witnesses to it; some all-seeing entity:
Alice closed her eyes and let herself think of us. (She was so far away now. When she thought of us, we always tried to call her name, as if our voices could bring her back.)
it wasn’t a bad idea, just executed a little clumsily. the ‘when’ of this also bothered me; the not knowing when this took place, other than a vaguely distant postwar american past, anytime USA.
overall, i thought it was fine. the characters of the other girls—particularly apple and kathryn—made for interesting dynamics, i love stories of female rage and this one definitely goes dark, and i thought some of the writing was excellent. i just wasn’t entirely convinced by alice’s transformation, i didn’t feel wesley’s magnetism was there on the page, and did i mention that the chorus element cheesed me off?
still, a strong debut.
come to my blog!!
March 8, 2021
This was nearly 350 pages worth of nothing.
This debut novel follows teenager Alice Lange who, at the beginning of the book, learns something upsetting, then, in response, destroys something in an act of vandalism, and - supposedly because she "has to" leave after that - she runs away with a man she barely knows. This man is running some sort of half-cult, half-harem full of teenage girls and seems to believe that the end of the world is nigh and only their weird household will be safe.
Though Alice is the main character, we also hear from the group of mothers in the town Alice has just fled, an all-seeing and all-knowing collective of mothers acting as a Greek chorus, mourning the loss of Alice, a girl who everyone in the town loved, to this Doc Antle-wannabe. That element definitely gives this book a "Virgin Suicides" meets "Stepford Wives" kind of vibe.
Right off the bat, character motivations were hazy. Why in God's name did Alice (who admittedly was happy living with her mom in this town) run away with some loser who took her picture once? I would have been more willing to accept this fact if we learned more about how she was secretly restless or unhappy the whole time she was living in the town. But no - she was adored by basically everyone and had a very nice life.
And what is it about this Wesley guy that's so attractive to all of these girls that live with him? We can clearly see that all the girls are committed to him (even the ornery Apple), but it is never apparent why. From my understanding, in these types of situations, abusers (which Wesley is, make no mistake) continuously have to maintain their hold on the people they're attempting to control and must continuously reinforce messages that will keep their victims from wanting to leave. The only thing Wesley does is repeatedly tell the girls that the world is not safe and that the group of them "aren't like other people." But he never really defines what this means nor did I think it was believable that most of these girls would stay. Are you telling me none of them had questions about what the end of the world would entail or why the group of them are special enough to be spared? Is Wesley's message a religious one? Does he have some sort of sexual hold over them? I wish I wouldn't have bothered wondering about these things, because they're never answered.
I kept waiting for there to be more to this book - for any psychological elements to be revealed, for an underlying message to shine through, or for something explosive to happen to add some flavor dust to this rice cake, but it remained an empty, low-calorie snack the entire time.
This debut novel follows teenager Alice Lange who, at the beginning of the book, learns something upsetting, then, in response, destroys something in an act of vandalism, and - supposedly because she "has to" leave after that - she runs away with a man she barely knows. This man is running some sort of half-cult, half-harem full of teenage girls and seems to believe that the end of the world is nigh and only their weird household will be safe.
Though Alice is the main character, we also hear from the group of mothers in the town Alice has just fled, an all-seeing and all-knowing collective of mothers acting as a Greek chorus, mourning the loss of Alice, a girl who everyone in the town loved, to this Doc Antle-wannabe. That element definitely gives this book a "Virgin Suicides" meets "Stepford Wives" kind of vibe.
Right off the bat, character motivations were hazy. Why in God's name did Alice (who admittedly was happy living with her mom in this town) run away with some loser who took her picture once? I would have been more willing to accept this fact if we learned more about how she was secretly restless or unhappy the whole time she was living in the town. But no - she was adored by basically everyone and had a very nice life.
And what is it about this Wesley guy that's so attractive to all of these girls that live with him? We can clearly see that all the girls are committed to him (even the ornery Apple), but it is never apparent why. From my understanding, in these types of situations, abusers (which Wesley is, make no mistake) continuously have to maintain their hold on the people they're attempting to control and must continuously reinforce messages that will keep their victims from wanting to leave. The only thing Wesley does is repeatedly tell the girls that the world is not safe and that the group of them "aren't like other people." But he never really defines what this means nor did I think it was believable that most of these girls would stay. Are you telling me none of them had questions about what the end of the world would entail or why the group of them are special enough to be spared? Is Wesley's message a religious one? Does he have some sort of sexual hold over them? I wish I wouldn't have bothered wondering about these things, because they're never answered.
I kept waiting for there to be more to this book - for any psychological elements to be revealed, for an underlying message to shine through, or for something explosive to happen to add some flavor dust to this rice cake, but it remained an empty, low-calorie snack the entire time.
December 30, 2020
“... 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵. 𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘴.”
What a surprising debut Ms. Wisdom has written. I picked it up thinking I’d just scan a few pages and ended up reading the entire book. It is compelling and haunting, with an insidious nature that really got under my skin.
When the beautiful and the seemingly perfect Alice Lange disappears after an uncharacteristic act of vandalism, everyone speculates on what could have happened. The neighborhood moms both reminisce and contemplate about Alice in first-person plural, a moral commentary told from the sidelines. It’s so cleverly done and gives a unique insight in to Alice’s character while shining a bright light on suburban conformity and constraints.
Alice meets Wesley, a clever manipulator preying on the lost and promising enlightenment. He is a controlling and violent man at heart but hides it well underneath a charismatic and charming exterior. Wesley brings Alice into his world, complete with the four other women already living in his homestead. Using the threat that world is soon coming to an end, he effectively keeps the women tied to him as their savior. Will what the girls learn about Wesley drive them away or bring them closer?
Beautifully written with a wickedly chilling premise, Ms. Wisdom pulls out all the stops in her debut novel. I’m really looking forward to what she’ll write next.
What a surprising debut Ms. Wisdom has written. I picked it up thinking I’d just scan a few pages and ended up reading the entire book. It is compelling and haunting, with an insidious nature that really got under my skin.
When the beautiful and the seemingly perfect Alice Lange disappears after an uncharacteristic act of vandalism, everyone speculates on what could have happened. The neighborhood moms both reminisce and contemplate about Alice in first-person plural, a moral commentary told from the sidelines. It’s so cleverly done and gives a unique insight in to Alice’s character while shining a bright light on suburban conformity and constraints.
Alice meets Wesley, a clever manipulator preying on the lost and promising enlightenment. He is a controlling and violent man at heart but hides it well underneath a charismatic and charming exterior. Wesley brings Alice into his world, complete with the four other women already living in his homestead. Using the threat that world is soon coming to an end, he effectively keeps the women tied to him as their savior. Will what the girls learn about Wesley drive them away or bring them closer?
Beautifully written with a wickedly chilling premise, Ms. Wisdom pulls out all the stops in her debut novel. I’m really looking forward to what she’ll write next.
August 17, 2020
The book follows Alice Lange, a small town superstar/homecoming queen candidate/high achiever/it girl who swerves from her path, runs away and joins a cult. Wisdom’s prose is beautiful and haunting. The narrative is interspersed with the collective voice of the towns mothers and it feels so natural and almost feels like your own voice (and it is since I AM a mother!)
I am left wanting to read more from Wisdom which is the best way a writer can leave you.
I am left wanting to read more from Wisdom which is the best way a writer can leave you.
January 26, 2021
“We Can Only Save Ourselves” is Alison Wisdom’s debut novel and you will not want to miss it! She has such a unique, beautiful, haunting, and captivating way of writing and I couldn’t put this one down. There’s like a… moral commentary throughout that happens on the side while you’re also reading Alice’s story? I don’t know what I expected from this book but it surprised me with a dark, tense undertone. There’s a very jarring scene at one point that took the book in a wild turn and, although disturbing, it gave the novel another layer of depth. I loved all the characters and the ending was shocking. I definitely recommend checking this one out and I will be eagerly waiting for her next release!
4.5 stars
Thank you so much to Harper Perennial for my gifted copy!
4.5 stars
Thank you so much to Harper Perennial for my gifted copy!
September 28, 2020
Alison Wisdom’s clear-eyed debut lulls you into a tenuous comfort, only to jump out when least expected. The collective narration flawlessly juggles youthful idealism and hardened maturity, marking the decisions women make—both deliberate and coerced—and their struggle to break free from societies determined to stifle their freedom to choose. Insidiously haunting, subtly clever, and impossible to put down.
November 23, 2020
What a delightful, creepy, beautiful novel. I loved every second of this - it felt dreamy and timeless, but with a constant thread of eerie and unnerving just below the surface. Comparisons to Virgin Suicides and The Girls are both apt to me. I finished this book this weekend and I'm still thinking about it. Highly recommend!
December 23, 2020
Wisdom’s novel — atmospheric, moody, and brooding — is so compelling I never wanted it to end. Fans of The Virgin Suicides, My Favorite Murder, and Crime Junkie, this one is for you!
January 4, 2021
Thank you so much to @alisonwisdom and @harperperennial for my gifted copy of We Can Only Save Ourselves. This beautiful, intense, and haunting book is out on February 2nd.
We Can Only Save Ourselves introduces us to Alice Lange, a high school senior who is on track to achieve all of her dreams. Then, one night, she commits arson and then disappears with Wesley, a stranger who enthralls her. He takes her to a bungalow where four other women are living with him, forming a cult. They, together, are learning to be their “true selves”, while seeking enlightenment and a new adventure. This is told next to the story of what happens after Alice disappears.
Y’all, it was hard to summarize the plot of this book, and it’s even harder to write this review. We Can Only Save Ourselves is different from anything I’ve read recently, and in the best way. It was difficult to put this book down, as you want to see what decisions Alice and her housemates make next, or what happens back in suburbia with Alice’s family and friends. Wisdom’s writing sucks you in and doesn’t let you go! Wesley and Alice are both well-developed main characters, continuing to be unwrapped as the pages go on, and the ending leaves you wanting more from both of them. This would be such a fabulous book to discuss with a buddy read or a book club, and I hope that the finished copy would include a reader’s guide or questions to discuss.
Get this book and Alison Wisdom on your radar, friends. I look forward to reading what she writes next!
We Can Only Save Ourselves introduces us to Alice Lange, a high school senior who is on track to achieve all of her dreams. Then, one night, she commits arson and then disappears with Wesley, a stranger who enthralls her. He takes her to a bungalow where four other women are living with him, forming a cult. They, together, are learning to be their “true selves”, while seeking enlightenment and a new adventure. This is told next to the story of what happens after Alice disappears.
Y’all, it was hard to summarize the plot of this book, and it’s even harder to write this review. We Can Only Save Ourselves is different from anything I’ve read recently, and in the best way. It was difficult to put this book down, as you want to see what decisions Alice and her housemates make next, or what happens back in suburbia with Alice’s family and friends. Wisdom’s writing sucks you in and doesn’t let you go! Wesley and Alice are both well-developed main characters, continuing to be unwrapped as the pages go on, and the ending leaves you wanting more from both of them. This would be such a fabulous book to discuss with a buddy read or a book club, and I hope that the finished copy would include a reader’s guide or questions to discuss.
Get this book and Alison Wisdom on your radar, friends. I look forward to reading what she writes next!
October 24, 2020
a timeless and haunting story with visuals that make it impossible to put down. highly recommended if you enjoy books that break up the homecoming queen/perfect neighborhood trope and tackle the easily influenced but nuanced nature of coming of age girls. hard to believe this is a debut novel — can’t wait to see what’s to come!
September 27, 2020
This is a really tough one to review because I absolutely devoured it, and the writing is so good. The collective narration in particular is very good, and the story is so hypnotic, it will suck you right in. Yet there was one very jarring scene that I can't stop thinking about, and I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to review this for Booklist... but I will find a way!
December 1, 2020
I read some readers reviews before receiving my book, one in particular stuck out. It described the book as "A delightful, creepy, beautiful novel" I couldn't explain it better myself after reading it. I couldn't stop reading this book from the moment I opened it.
December 21, 2020
My Review of
WE CAN ONLY SAVE OURSELVES
By Alison Wisdom
Published by Harper Perennial
On Sale 2/2/21
******
What a thrilling, eye opening debut novel that touches on so many unsaid realities that do exist in some lives and brings to light the darkness within some people who appear so perfect on the outside. People within every school there does exist, the popular girl/boy that so many desire to be like; thinking if only their lives were like his/hers. But that Homecoming Queen/ King may have inside them; a yearning for something deeper, more meaningful or a thirst that will surprise just about everyone. The book completely intoxicated me and I was drunk on the tasty narrative that was almost cult like.
It begins with Homecoming Queen, Alice Lange. Everyone wants to know her or be her friend, she is the epitome of perfect. But she shocks everyone by doing something unthinkable the night before Homecoming and then she disappears. At first people think it could be related to a young girl found murdered but as time goes on they believe she left on her own accord. The neighborhood has their own theories and Alice’s mom is a complete wreck trying to get through each day hoping for her daughter’s return
What no one knew was Alice fell for the charms of a stranger named Wesley who convinces her that she needs to be awakened and to live in the moment. He brings her to a 2 bedroom home where there are four other girls all seeking the same promise of enlightenment. But Wesley is really a weak man that uses women to do everything for him under false pretenses & brainwashes them into believing that the world would soon be coming to an end as they knew it. Soon Wesley becomes increasingly demanding and punishing. The girls think they know Wesley but they know only what he allows them to know.
WE CAN ONLY SAVE OURSELVES
By Alison Wisdom
Published by Harper Perennial
On Sale 2/2/21
******
What a thrilling, eye opening debut novel that touches on so many unsaid realities that do exist in some lives and brings to light the darkness within some people who appear so perfect on the outside. People within every school there does exist, the popular girl/boy that so many desire to be like; thinking if only their lives were like his/hers. But that Homecoming Queen/ King may have inside them; a yearning for something deeper, more meaningful or a thirst that will surprise just about everyone. The book completely intoxicated me and I was drunk on the tasty narrative that was almost cult like.
It begins with Homecoming Queen, Alice Lange. Everyone wants to know her or be her friend, she is the epitome of perfect. But she shocks everyone by doing something unthinkable the night before Homecoming and then she disappears. At first people think it could be related to a young girl found murdered but as time goes on they believe she left on her own accord. The neighborhood has their own theories and Alice’s mom is a complete wreck trying to get through each day hoping for her daughter’s return
What no one knew was Alice fell for the charms of a stranger named Wesley who convinces her that she needs to be awakened and to live in the moment. He brings her to a 2 bedroom home where there are four other girls all seeking the same promise of enlightenment. But Wesley is really a weak man that uses women to do everything for him under false pretenses & brainwashes them into believing that the world would soon be coming to an end as they knew it. Soon Wesley becomes increasingly demanding and punishing. The girls think they know Wesley but they know only what he allows them to know.
November 1, 2020
I loved reading the story of Alice from the perspective of the mothers who knew her and observed her. It was such a picture of the desires and fears we hold for our own children and the children we know. The story was so compelling, I could hardly stand to put the book down until I was finished. Cannot wait to read more from this author!
December 12, 2020
Couldn’t put it down! I was immediately invested in the town and every single character. The story Alison tells is fascinating and heartbreaking all at the same time.
December 17, 2020
Wow. Could NOT put this book down! Going to work is already terrible, but it's especially terrible when you wish you could just be reading instead. 10/10 stars!
December 19, 2020
Wisdom weaves a tapestry with dark woven threads about Alice’s chilling experience. A mystifying and immersing read from cover to cover.
October 8, 2020
I am having a hard time putting into words what this story made me feel. I felt so connected to the characters and storyline that I couldn't put the book down. I feel like I could hear their voices and see their faces with every twist and turn. It was so chilling and left me wanting more! I can't wait to read it again and again!
December 19, 2020
This book was very captivating. It was intriguingly dark and I could not put it down. The writing was excellent and the plot was woven together thoughtfully. I highly recommend this book!
February 26, 2021
Un libro que sin duda recuerda el caso de la Familia Manson. Cuando Alice Lang, la chica perfecta, se escapa de su vecindario para seguir a un misterioso hombre llamado Wesley todos los vecinos de su barrio de "gente bien" se escandalizan.
Alice se siente libre, capaz de dejar atrás todas esas expectivas puestas en ella. Sin embargo, Wesley es un tipo manipulador que "rescata" otras chicas, por lo general menores de edad, y a quienes lleva a vivir con él. Wesley tiene un poder absoluto sobre las chicas, sin necesidad de ejercer violencia física, las controlo a su antojo. La historia se narra desde la perspectiva de Alice, mediante la cual vamos conociendo a las otras chicas y la especie de "culto" que Wesley está formando, pero también se narra desde el punto de vista de un ama de casa del suburbio de donde Alice escapó. ¿Cuál de las dos realidades es más opresiva? Un libro bien escrito y disfrutable, pero le falta algo para convertirse en ese tipo de historia que no puedes soltar.
Alice se siente libre, capaz de dejar atrás todas esas expectivas puestas en ella. Sin embargo, Wesley es un tipo manipulador que "rescata" otras chicas, por lo general menores de edad, y a quienes lleva a vivir con él. Wesley tiene un poder absoluto sobre las chicas, sin necesidad de ejercer violencia física, las controlo a su antojo. La historia se narra desde la perspectiva de Alice, mediante la cual vamos conociendo a las otras chicas y la especie de "culto" que Wesley está formando, pero también se narra desde el punto de vista de un ama de casa del suburbio de donde Alice escapó. ¿Cuál de las dos realidades es más opresiva? Un libro bien escrito y disfrutable, pero le falta algo para convertirse en ese tipo de historia que no puedes soltar.
February 27, 2021
I’ve been struggling with how I wanted to rate this one, because overall yes, I did like the story and there were elements I really loved. However, there were also moments that I felt like I was forcing myself to keep going because I found myself somewhat disinterested with the story.
I will say, because I didn’t see a single trigger for this, that there is on page animal cruelty, peaking around chapter 27, which made me incredibly uncomfortable. Truthfully this chapter lead to me taking a lot longer to finish the book because I wasn’t sure if I actually wanted to continue. I can somewhat understand why this element was used for the narrative as a whole but I’m not sure I would deem it necessary to get the point across. It was at this point that I realised the storyline was coasting and there didn’t seem to be much progress in where we were heading.
I did find the use of a collective narration fascinating, something I really don’t see much of but thoroughly enjoy when it’s done well. This choice really helped bring you as a reader into this world and feel the watchful eye of suburbia tangibly.
Another element I liked were the characters. The girls in the bungalow were so fleshed out and whole, completely different and flawed. The bite of Apple, the sweetness of Hannah Fay, each girl was made whole with Wisdom’s writing and it was the moments with just the girls that I looked forward to the most.
Overall, I put this to a 3.5 rating, but I’m rounding down because there just isn’t enough in there for me.
ARC provided through Edelweiss for an honest review
I will say, because I didn’t see a single trigger for this, that there is on page animal cruelty, peaking around chapter 27, which made me incredibly uncomfortable. Truthfully this chapter lead to me taking a lot longer to finish the book because I wasn’t sure if I actually wanted to continue. I can somewhat understand why this element was used for the narrative as a whole but I’m not sure I would deem it necessary to get the point across. It was at this point that I realised the storyline was coasting and there didn’t seem to be much progress in where we were heading.
I did find the use of a collective narration fascinating, something I really don’t see much of but thoroughly enjoy when it’s done well. This choice really helped bring you as a reader into this world and feel the watchful eye of suburbia tangibly.
Another element I liked were the characters. The girls in the bungalow were so fleshed out and whole, completely different and flawed. The bite of Apple, the sweetness of Hannah Fay, each girl was made whole with Wisdom’s writing and it was the moments with just the girls that I looked forward to the most.
Overall, I put this to a 3.5 rating, but I’m rounding down because there just isn’t enough in there for me.
ARC provided through Edelweiss for an honest review
October 31, 2020
I was captivated by this book and by the way Wisdom tells us Alice’s story. Hearing from the mothers of her community is a unique way of both fleshing out Alice and foreshadowing what comes to her as she seeks to escape the ties that bind. I love the character development and dialogue among the girls who are Alice’s new community. It is haunting and quietly dreadful.
June 10, 2021
*I was gifted a free ARC of this book by Harper Perennial in exchange for an honest review*
This book follows Alice Lange, the effervescent and admired beauty queen of her small suburban town. Seeking for experiences beyond the bounds of her sleepy high school, Alice follows a mysterious character back to his home. Leaving behind the life she knew to fall at the heels of this man leaves both Alice and her old friends and neighbors to consider what it means to belong, to stay, and to leave.
I was both nervous and excited when I saw this book compared to The Virgin Suicides. I’m not certain it’s an apt comparison, but more on that later. This is by far the best debut I’ve read in a long time. The prose is elegant and lyrical without being overly flowery. Both the suburban neighborhood where the narrators live and the cultish homestead where Alice finds herself living felt full and realized. Wesley, the patriarch of the homestead, effectively illustrates the manipulative tactics people like him use to maintain power over others. Alice felt rather cookie cutter, but I suppose that’s the point. The final chapters were surprisingly resonant and sentimental, and the politics of the mothers finally felt relevant.
I don’t have any overwhelming negative feelings about this book. I think it was quite good. That being said, it has a very overtly subversive use of point-of-view, as it’s told from first person plural, through the eyes of the mothers living in the Lange’s neighborhood. I don’t think this odd choice really served the narrative, and it could have just as easily been told in third person. The book also dragged a bit in the middle.
Overall this was a very enjoyable read.
This book follows Alice Lange, the effervescent and admired beauty queen of her small suburban town. Seeking for experiences beyond the bounds of her sleepy high school, Alice follows a mysterious character back to his home. Leaving behind the life she knew to fall at the heels of this man leaves both Alice and her old friends and neighbors to consider what it means to belong, to stay, and to leave.
I was both nervous and excited when I saw this book compared to The Virgin Suicides. I’m not certain it’s an apt comparison, but more on that later. This is by far the best debut I’ve read in a long time. The prose is elegant and lyrical without being overly flowery. Both the suburban neighborhood where the narrators live and the cultish homestead where Alice finds herself living felt full and realized. Wesley, the patriarch of the homestead, effectively illustrates the manipulative tactics people like him use to maintain power over others. Alice felt rather cookie cutter, but I suppose that’s the point. The final chapters were surprisingly resonant and sentimental, and the politics of the mothers finally felt relevant.
I don’t have any overwhelming negative feelings about this book. I think it was quite good. That being said, it has a very overtly subversive use of point-of-view, as it’s told from first person plural, through the eyes of the mothers living in the Lange’s neighborhood. I don’t think this odd choice really served the narrative, and it could have just as easily been told in third person. The book also dragged a bit in the middle.
Overall this was a very enjoyable read.
March 29, 2021
Unfortunately, this just didn’t do it for me. The whole thing felt flat and unbelievable. The characters felt completely two dimensional, I could not make sense of what made Alice susceptible to Wesley or what made Wesley compelling to the girls. For a topic like cult mentality, where there is so much to explore psychologically and socially, this just felt so surface level and I’d be surprised if anything about it stuck with me in the long term.
April 2, 2021
This was quite the compelling psychological fiction. You have a third person perspective narrative that alternates with a chorus style that reflects the views of the suburban neighborhood. #wecanonlysaveourselves is about parental expectations , social conformity and how our own community can turn its back on what is our own eyes.
It's unsettling, uncomfortable and will certainly have everyone talking.
Goodreads review published 02/04/21
It's unsettling, uncomfortable and will certainly have everyone talking.
Goodreads review published 02/04/21
May 1, 2021
Okay let me start by saying no one should NEVER EVER read this book. It has the worst possible ending and it so FUCKING disturbing. A girl stabs a dogs to death and don’t get me started about the dude. The only reason why I decided to keep reading this book cause I just wanted to finish it. Also there is no real plot to this book. If you decide to read this book I will be praying for you and if you like it I will be double praying for you.
April 16, 2021
books about cults always sound intriguing until i actually read them and get disappointed
tw: animal cruelty (particularly a dog) in chapter 27
tw: animal cruelty (particularly a dog) in chapter 27
February 17, 2021
'He nodded. “But you’re not like them,” he said. “Those other people.”
“I know,” she said and took a step closer to him. (We regret now the things we said to her, how we spent her whole life reminding her of this very thing, how special she was. But now we know she wasn’t who we thought. If she is special at all, it isn’t in a good way.)'
- We Can Only Save Ourselves by Alison Wisdom
I was totally spellbound by this dark, hypnotic story about a high school girl who joins a cult, and the neighbourhood mothers who are left behind in a seemingly bucolic suburbia. The narrative voice, which swings between runaway Alice and the mothers (who speak as one ‘we’), is as unnervingly mesmerising as the magnetic cult leader in the novel, Wesley, who has gathered a group of girls in a bungalow and is teaching them that the world outside is unsafe, that people need to be “woken up”.
This was one of those books where I found myself not only folding down corners of pages but also getting out a pencil to mark individual lines, the prose is so magnetic, the tone of the book haunting and insidious. I’ve seen some comparisons made to Emma Cline’s ‘The Girls’ because of the cult storyline and the Californian setting (and the time period, although this novel is never quite opaque about when it is set, which I loved because it added an extra eeriness) but I think ‘We Can Only Save Ourselves’ might be better at marrying tone and subject matter, at sinking the reader into a woozy, mesmerised headspace that seems to almost implicate you in the girls’ actions and makes the ending all the more unsettling to read.
“I know,” she said and took a step closer to him. (We regret now the things we said to her, how we spent her whole life reminding her of this very thing, how special she was. But now we know she wasn’t who we thought. If she is special at all, it isn’t in a good way.)'
- We Can Only Save Ourselves by Alison Wisdom
I was totally spellbound by this dark, hypnotic story about a high school girl who joins a cult, and the neighbourhood mothers who are left behind in a seemingly bucolic suburbia. The narrative voice, which swings between runaway Alice and the mothers (who speak as one ‘we’), is as unnervingly mesmerising as the magnetic cult leader in the novel, Wesley, who has gathered a group of girls in a bungalow and is teaching them that the world outside is unsafe, that people need to be “woken up”.
This was one of those books where I found myself not only folding down corners of pages but also getting out a pencil to mark individual lines, the prose is so magnetic, the tone of the book haunting and insidious. I’ve seen some comparisons made to Emma Cline’s ‘The Girls’ because of the cult storyline and the Californian setting (and the time period, although this novel is never quite opaque about when it is set, which I loved because it added an extra eeriness) but I think ‘We Can Only Save Ourselves’ might be better at marrying tone and subject matter, at sinking the reader into a woozy, mesmerised headspace that seems to almost implicate you in the girls’ actions and makes the ending all the more unsettling to read.
February 28, 2021
Content warning: graphic death of a dog.
A new take on a Manson-style cult. Very unsettling, well-written. Possibly 3.5 star but bumped down for the content mentioned above. Extremely graphic and awful.
A new take on a Manson-style cult. Very unsettling, well-written. Possibly 3.5 star but bumped down for the content mentioned above. Extremely graphic and awful.
August 31, 2022
Hi, my name is Charlie, and I am a minor character in this book. My reader asked me to review this book for her because she thought I had something to say.
This book is about a Charles Manson type figure named Wesley he lives with 5 girls. All are underage except one. The new girl Alice is 17 and she leaves her home with Charles oops I mean Wesley and learns to live with a sociopath oops I mean Wesley.
Wesley says jump they say how high, Wesley says prostitute yourself out for money they say how many men? You catch the drift. But to me aka Charlie I'm just the little dog who lives next door. When I hear the girls in the back yard, I go out back and bark at them because I want to play. I have a ball. But Wesley doesn't like my barking so one day about 3/4 into this book. Wesley tells the girls, "Take care of it".
There are many ways they could have taken care of it but the Author oops I mean Alice goes over the fence and when she comes into the house, I get excited because I think she wants to play. Instead, she takes a knife and stabs me in my throat. I'm still alive and barley breathing but I'm dying. So, she stabs' me again in-between my ribs. I don't remember how many times. Then I die. My reader doesn't know what else happened because she slammed the book shut. She didn't care to know any more about these horrible people. Even if they were fictional.
After that I don't remember much else about this book because I died by the hands of a future sociopath. I and my reader did not feel it necessary to kill me off for you the readers to get the 1970 Manson vibe of this book. I am only one fictional dog named Charlie in a book in one chapter on a few pages but I'm telling you I got a lot to say and I'm going to bark it. My reader and I hated that I had to be killed off so others might deem this book more interesting. It was not. Hope you like my review Love Charlie
This book is about a Charles Manson type figure named Wesley he lives with 5 girls. All are underage except one. The new girl Alice is 17 and she leaves her home with Charles oops I mean Wesley and learns to live with a sociopath oops I mean Wesley.
Wesley says jump they say how high, Wesley says prostitute yourself out for money they say how many men? You catch the drift. But to me aka Charlie I'm just the little dog who lives next door. When I hear the girls in the back yard, I go out back and bark at them because I want to play. I have a ball. But Wesley doesn't like my barking so one day about 3/4 into this book. Wesley tells the girls, "Take care of it".
There are many ways they could have taken care of it but the Author oops I mean Alice goes over the fence and when she comes into the house, I get excited because I think she wants to play. Instead, she takes a knife and stabs me in my throat. I'm still alive and barley breathing but I'm dying. So, she stabs' me again in-between my ribs. I don't remember how many times. Then I die. My reader doesn't know what else happened because she slammed the book shut. She didn't care to know any more about these horrible people. Even if they were fictional.
After that I don't remember much else about this book because I died by the hands of a future sociopath. I and my reader did not feel it necessary to kill me off for you the readers to get the 1970 Manson vibe of this book. I am only one fictional dog named Charlie in a book in one chapter on a few pages but I'm telling you I got a lot to say and I'm going to bark it. My reader and I hated that I had to be killed off so others might deem this book more interesting. It was not. Hope you like my review Love Charlie
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