SuitabookEveryone we've been
Sarah Everett
- Reading
- If uncertainty around mental experiences or medical intervention may be difficult, read alongside the young person and pause to clarify feelings. Afterwards, talk about memory, consent and whether recovery is straightforward.
- Themes
- Memory and identity: Addie confronts memory lapses and discovers that some memories were erased; she questions whether she can know who she is becoming. The premise invites reflection on how memory and personal identity relate, while presenting recovery as emotionally significant.
- Mental experience and uncertainty: Addie sees and speaks to a disappearing boy, initially investigates his identity, and eventually recognises that she is hallucinating or delusional. The book’s stance on this remains unclear.
- Race and social perception: Addie is described as biracial, and conversations with a white stranger elicit strange stares that she has experienced throughout her life. The book’s stance on this remains unclear.
- Worth knowing
- Expect potentially unsettling material around hallucinations or delusions, memory loss, an accident and brain surgery.