Book Review: The Ghosts We Keep by Mason Deaver

by Siwoo Park, age 12

The Ghosts We Keep by Mason Deaver is a young adult novel that primarily explores themes of grief and the process of moving forward after loss. Although the book is fictional, the story realistically portrays the struggles of losing someone you love.

This story develops around junior Liam Cooper after his older brother (Ethan) dies. As if the death of his brother was not enough, fate also decided to ruin his friendships. Throughout the story, Liam often feels unacknowledged by his friends, Joel and Vanessa. The most prominent reason was because the two were dating each other, usually spending time together without Liam. Liam’s family life was not ideal either. While his parents were moving on from Ethan’s death, Liam remained attached to the past and hung on to grief.

He only ever felt safe and stable in the novel when he hung out with his brother’s best friend, Marcus. Liam could only grieve with and relate to Marcus, often meeting him to recall memories of Ethan and make some of their own.

At the beginning of the book, Ethan is killed in a hit-and-run. Liam was devastated, as he knew everything was going to change. However, it was even worse than he had anticipated since everyone seemed to use Ethan’s death for their benefit. For example, at the funeral, the pastor did not acknowledge Ethan’s death, instead using the time to give a sermon.

After the funeral, Liam’s parents were removing and discarding Ethan’s belongings—that was Liam’s breaking point where he began to have a mental breakdown. Later on, his friends, Joel and Vanessa, showed their true demeanors and abandoned him. Thankfully, Marcus came into the picture and they worked together to overcome their sorrows.

I recommend this book to middle schoolers and above who understand mature topics such as death, profanity, and sexuality. I enjoyed the plot engrained in this book and found the story to be thought-provoking and emotional. The ending was bittersweet, and the character development was good as Liam overcame his mental instability and learned to move on. The book was a heavy story that was filled with raw and intense emotions. It illustrates how the loss of a loved one, whether through death or another circumstance, can impact you in a way that no words can describe.