Book Review - The Hills We Run From by Ellis Mae
Today’s book spotlight is a lighthearted yet gut wrenching story of two young characters trying to find their way. In the depths of Edinburgh, while one girl is trying to run, the other is already running along. Polar opposites attract though, and going through the motions of growing up and dealing with what they think is life, is really only a split fraction of reality.
In The Hills We Run From, our two main characters Saatchi and Emmylou are on individual yet coexisting roller coasters. With past greviences and forces of oppression, this story proves that your origin does not define you. How you deal and cope with experiences and chose to face the future shows the true virtuous character, in which both of these girls are.
Saatchi is a blunt, outspoken girl with a big role on her life. As a college student and marathon runner, there is a lot on the line. From the outside, her life seems perfectly content as she is known in the community and lives amongst the beautiful landscape others dream about even seeing once.
Emmylou, on the other hand, comes from that outside perspective and into the community Saatchi has always known with hopes to escape. But how does one escape to a place where another subconsciously feels trapped?
If this story does anything, which is does a lot, this novel gets perspective and the unique individuality we all hold physically, emotionally, and mentally. The surface level goes so much farther and deeper, but one must have the courage to dig.
There are some scenes where many side characters are introduced, well-rounded yet done so in a quick manner to prove what they add to the plot in a quick few pages. For instance, the scene in which Drew, Markus, Finn, Lewis, Tye, Kristy… all these names come about within two pages. But in doing so, the author is very intrinsic with the way they voice each character and keep the focus on Saatchi and Emmylou. It’s a hard task in a story to keep focus and circulate the main thematic issues, but never in this story did they stray from my mind.
Every chapter, every page had a reason. Whether light hearted, sad, happy, aggressive… every word had meaning and every piece of dialogue had further ideas and interpretation for the reader to ponder. Given just over 300 pages, a lot is packed in this bundle of a story.
There are cautionary events and issues raised in the novel as well in which sensitivity mentions are made before the first chapter even begins. I appreciate that as a reader because it shows the empathy and personal reach the author is making. To understand what young adult genre this falls in but to not generalize the crowd… just as each character is very individualistic in the story, Ellis Mae makes sure to recognize that so is the crowd reading the book.
I am so honored to have received copies of this book in the mail. The cover pops out and catches the eye in a sweet, charming aesthetic. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a relaxing yet engaging read. Make sure to keep in touch with Chronicles & Coffee to hear Ellis Mae on the podcast soon!
Talk to you soon,
Olivia
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