Title: Our Little World
Author: Karen Winn
Genre: Mystery
Publishes On: May 3, 2022
Publisher: Dutton
Source: digital (Netgalley)
Pages: 352
Synopsis:
“I was intrigued by Our Little World from the chilling first paragraph. It’s a coming-of-age novel complicated by a tragic and untimely death, and it’s also a novel about two sisters you will never forget. I fell in love with the confidence of the writing and the colorful nostalgia of the mid-’80s details. Our Little World will transport and transfix you.”—Elin Hilderbrand
July 1985. It’s a normal, sweltering New Jersey summer for soon-to-be seventh grader Bee Kocsis. Her thoughts center only on sunny days spent at Deer Chase Lake, evenings chasing fireflies around her cul-de-sac with the neighborhood kids, and Max, the boy who just moved in across the street. That and the burgeoning worry that she’ll never be as special as her younger sister, Audrina, who seems to effortlessly dazzle wherever she goes.
But when Max’s little sister, Sally, goes missing at the lake, Bee’s long-held illusion of stability is shattered in an instant. As the families in her close-knit community turn inward, suspicious, and protective, things in Bee’s own home become increasingly strained, most of all with Audrina, when a shameful secret surfaces. With everything changed, Bee and Audrina’s already-fraught sisterhood is pushed to the limit as they grow up—and apart—in the wake of an innocence lost too soon.
Perfect for readers of Celeste Ng’s Everything I Never Told You, Our Little World is a powerful and lyrical coming-of-age story that examines the complicated bond of sisterhood, the corrosive power of envy, and how the traumas of our youths can shape our identities for a lifetime.
My thoughts
(Spoiler free)
Our Little World, Karen Winn’s debut novel, is strangely comforting with its nostalgic reminders of my childhood growing up in the mid-1980s. I say strangely because this is primarily a mystery novel that revolves around the disappearance of a four-year old girl. But Winn has done such a good job of placing the reader in the carefree summer days of 1985 as this novel opens, I felt at home despite the fearful nature of the subject matter. I found myself engrossed in the story, eager to uncover the secrets the pages held.
Our narrator is Bee, who is twelve years old in the summer of 1985, which is two years older than I was that year. I could easily relate to Bee, her younger sister Audrina, and their neighborhood friends. Unending hours playing outdoors, a childhood free of restrictions and expectations. It was a time like no other.
But for Bee this idyllic time is brought to an abrupt end when Max’s four year old sister Sally, Bee’s new neighbors who moved in across the street, disappears while Bee, Audrina, Max, and Sally are spending the day together at the local lake. The events of this traumatic day spark a change in Bee’s life that ripples through her family, her neighborhood, and her town.
Bee is a complicated character with her own set of problems. She’s very jealous of her sister, who she feels is more popular, prettier, and their father’s favorite. Bee and Audrina have supportive parents, but they aren’t very affectionate with the sisters, and they also seem to have problems in their marriage. Like many siblings, Bee and Audrina can be very close at times and very cruel to each other, as well. And as the next year unfolds after the disappearance of Sally, we see how Bee’s life is intertwined with this event, how she internalizes all her fears, makes poor decisions, and finds herself closely observing the people that inhabit her little cul-de-sac.
“But in those beguiling days in the aftermath of Sally’s disappearance, it was once more Audrina-and-me. Sisters were we. Early childhood had transposed to the present. We saw each other with four-year-old eyes: Sally eyes. Time slowed for us, daylight starting early and ending late, the hours to play elongated. When we woke up, we’d be unsure of the day, let alone the time, but realize it didn’t matter. Our present consisted—subsisted—of us.”
Karen Winn, Our Little World
Our Little World is a quick read, and while I was entranced with the story, I found myself mostly enjoying the setting of a close neighborhood in the 1980s. This one is very well-written, and the mystery remained unsolved for me until the reveal, which always enhances the experience. If you’re a fan of mysteries, stories about sisters, or getting lost in nostalgia, be sure to add this one to your summer reading!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Dutton and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
(All quotes are taken from the advance copy and are subject to change in final print.)
Rating:
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About the Author
A Song For A Book
Karen Winn mentions a few artists and songs who were popular in the 1980s throughout the book, but sadly I couldn’t find an author-inspired playlist. I did find the Book Club Kit on her website, which includes discussion questions and pictures of the setting that inspired her book! I’ve chosen to highlight “Our House” by Madness, a song that always makes me nostalgic for my own childhood.
…Our house, in the middle of our street
Our house, in the middle of our
I remember way back then
When everything was true and when
We would have such a very good time
Such a fine time, such a happy time
And I remember how we’d play
Simply waste the day away
Then we’d say nothing would come between us
Two dreamers…
Have you read Our Little World? Did you add it to your tbr? Let me know in the comments!
Happy Wandering!
What a nice review! I’ve read this too and felt the same way as you!
Thank you! I’m glad we both enjoyed it. I need to pop over and read your review. I try to wait and read others until I finish my own. 😉