"We Are Together Because" by Kerry Andrew intricately weaves together the complexities of family dynamics with an impending sense of apocalypse. Set against the backdrop of a secluded French holiday, Luke, Connor, Thea, and Violet navigate their intertwined relationships amidst unsettling atmospheric changes. Andrew's narrative skillfully delves into the depths of human connection, exploring themes of desire, identity, and familial bonds. As the characters grapple with their individual struggles, an ominous undercurrent looms, heightening tension and suspense. Andrew's novel is a compelling, thought-provoking read that lingers, demanding introspection and discussion.

This coming of age dystopian novel has well written prose which made it really satisfying and compelling.

There is a lot of exploration of love and identity which were interesting and authentic. However, I felt that there needed to be more conflict for the sibling relationships to feel more convincing - coming from a complicated background, hardly knowing each other to begin with, the ease with which they drew together even before the apocalyptic events just didn't feel real. Plus I couldn't quite accept the incestuous relationship that happened in this book as easily as the characters did which was growing from before the end of the world and it never seemed to be acknowledged that as half brother and sister this was taboo.

The dystopian plotline was tense and mysterious, but it's lack of resolution was frustrating. I have read quite a few dystopian novels now which don't reveal the details of what has happened to the world and I'm ok with that, but this just felt a little too elusive and strange and ultimately left me feeling a bit unsatisfied.

Overall, this was an interesting read with a lot of tender exploration of sexuality, identity and family relationships, mixed with end of the world, we're the only people left vibes.

This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

We Are Together Because is a twisting piece of literary fiction that starts with half siblings on holiday together and turns into an apocalyptic story of an eerie world ending. Luke and Connor's father left their mother before Connor was born, and now they're on holiday with their half sisters Thea and Violet, with their father planning to join them later. As the fragmented family deals with their own preoccupations, strange things start happening: a strange sound only Connor can hear, Violet seeing some kind of plane crash. And then, everything changes as the world seems to break before their eyes.

This novel is hard not to describe as one of two halves, because the story so suddenly changes partway through (and not having reread the blurb before reading, I wasn't expecting it, either). It moves between the perspectives of the four protagonists, exploring their mindsets and their dynamics as they spend a hot summer in France, and the characters' stories are quite varied, with Violet dealing with a traumatic event in her past, Luke avoiding a relationship that turned abusive, and Connor and Thea having a strange incest-y subplot. Just when you think that whatever happens will come out of these plotlines, the book takes an apocalyptic turn, and it becomes about survival and humanity in an eerily desolate setting. The second half unfolds quite expectedly, not answering any questions and focusing on the characters still in a way that makes for an unsettling sense of how it might feel to have these events happen to you.

I found We Are Together Because gripping and I liked how it went from coming of age to end of the world whilst staying very lyrical (though occasionally there were moments of description so jarring that they pulled me out of the narrative). As with Andrew's previous books, there's a lot of exploration of language and sounds and gender and sex, but this time with an unnerving end of the world element. A lot of people will probably prefer one half or the other, but I liked how the parts of the story talked to each other, and how the characters' preoccupations didn't disappear because things had radically changed.

This is a difficult book to review mainly because it is a book in two parts, both very different from each other.

The book centres on two sets of half siblings who share a father - Luke and Connor, and Thea and Violet. All four come together at a French retreat in a 'getting to know you better' type holiday awaiting their dads arrival in a week's time.

Despite their familial relationship, thoughts of sex are abound both within and outwith the family. The hormonal fireworks are abound as relationships and boundaries are tested.

Well, that's the first half of the book.....

In the second half (this isn't a spoiler but I won't say too much) the book turns into a post-apocalyptic, dystopian nightmare for them as they seek survival at any cost. (I told you the two parts were different!)

I think both halves of the story were good and extremely well written by a hugely talented author however I am just not sure they worked well together. I think I would have enjoyed reading more about the first half (albeit the second half was probably the more 'entertaining')

Thanks to Netgalley and Atlantic books for an ARC on exchange for an honest review

Kerry Andrew is a multi-talented artist, as much at home writing choral music in the “classical” tradition, as performing as an alt-folk musician, while also writing fiction, often inspired by her musical projects and pursuits. We Are Together Because is her third novel. Her debut – Swansong – had really struck me. Skin, on the other hand, left me perplexed. There were aspects of it I really liked, and others I found unconvincing or frustrating. My reaction to her latest book is similarly ambivalent.

We Are Together Because is a novel in two parts and while there is continuity between the two, there is a major gear change half-way through which is one of the work’s more perplexing aspects. The first segment has all the makings of a “coming of age” novel. The premise is, admittedly, somewhat improbable, but still within the broad parameters of what could be deemed a “realistic” plot. Two teenage sisters – Thea and Violet – are sent by their father, a high-flying international lawyer, to spend a holiday with their half-brothers Luke and Connor, at his house in France. The boys don’t know their father very well, as he left their mother when she was pregnant with Connor, settling down with his then-girlfriend who was soon pregnant with Thea. This holiday, on which he plans to join them after his children’s first week alone together, is his idea of uniting the siblings.

The young peoples’ interaction, closely and perceptively observed, brings out their foibles, obsessions and concerns, the majority of which seem to be related to sex. Luke, the eldest of the four, is openly gay. He seems at ease with his sexuality, yet unbeknown to the others, he is hoping that the French holiday will help him break off his current relationship, which has started off as “kinky” and turned abusive. Violet, the youngest of the four, has also experienced a traumatic abusive incident, which has led her to question her attitude towards sex. Connor, who is in certain respects the author’s alter ego, is an upcoming musician with a penchant for avant-garde music and composers (John Cage, Pauline Oliveros). He can only hear properly from one ear, a condition which seems to fuel his introversion. He nurtures an increasingly evident physical attraction towards his half-sister Thea, who is his opposite – gregarious and keen to have as many sexual experiences as possible.

The novel would have been interesting enough had it concentrated solely on the hormonal maelstrom of its protagonists, played out against a languorous French summer. But Kerry Andrew has a twist up her sleeve for the second part of the book. This is hinted at through some tell-tale details in the first segment. Connor hears a strange drone which seems to intensify. Violet notices a plane inexplicably falling from the sky. And we are told, in an off-hand comment by the third-party narrator, that the siblings will never meet their father again.

Since the blurb of the novel speaks of the “end of the world”, it is no spoiler (or at least, not a great one...) to reveal that in its second part, the book turns into a dystopian, post-apocalyptic narrative, in which the siblings try to survive in an increasingly dangerous and hostile world. And it is here that the novel becomes frustrating. The author seems interested in this “end of days” scenario only insofar as it leads to a quick ripening of the relationship between the half-siblings. The way in which the unprecedented developments catapults the protagonists into a forced adulthood is certainly interesting. However, there is no attempt to tap into the typical tropes of dystopian fiction, nor is ultimately, any explanation given for the mysterious and extraordinary events in which the protagonists find themselves. As a result, the narrative feels inconclusive and readers who approach the book primarily for its “speculative” aspects will likely feel short-changed. In my view, the novel could have given greater concessions to the genre, without abandoning its central premise.

Despite my reservations, We Are Together Because is a book I would still recommend. Kerry Andrew has a distinctive and assured literary voice, and even when she doesn’t convince, she certainly intrigues.

https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/2023/12/we-are-together-because-by-kerry-andrew.html

3.5 🌟


Very much a book of two halves.
The first getting to know the siblings, their characters, their relationships, their problems... this , for me was the better half.
Each character stood out so well from each other, and their stories were strong.
The second half was not was I was expecting, and although enjoyable too, it felt too similar to other books I've read.
Overall though, I enjoyed this book, and will be recommending to others.