Publishers Weekly
09/16/2019
Lund interweaves the traumatic stories of storm victims separated by generations in her debut novel. Fifty years after a 1961 tornado tore through Mercer, Ill., a similar storm passes through the town, and several of the long-deceased return to the scene. While observing the living, the dead provide memories as well as commentary on their communal, ghostly present. After realizing that they are each being visited by a ghost, three loners—whose stories interweave with the ghosts’—connect. Brenna is bullied because of her Mexican heritage; Joshua is an ostracized gay teen; and Callie is coming to terms with her mother’s terminal cancer. Each of the ghosts brings understanding and comfort to the teens while seeking peace for themselves. Dot, an incest survivor with a powerful singing voice, counsels Brenna, who longs to write; Luke, a closeted teen, supports Joshua; and Mrs. Vidal, who survived the ’61 storm, comforts Callie. Through interconnected stories of pain and courage, Lund captures the pathos and resilience of a town still working through trauma in this lyrical ghost story. Ages 12–up. Agent: Sarah Davies, Greenhouse Literary Agency. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
Praise for We Speak in Storms:
"A hauntingly atmospheric coming-of-age story . . . with fully realized characters, an empowering message, and a highly satisfying conclusion." SLJ
"A lingering, quietly paced story about the echoes of trauma and the persistence of hope." Booklist
"This suspenseful novel . . . immediately grabs the reader’s attention . . . [Readers] will be eager to find out what happens next." SLC
School Library Journal
07/01/2019
Gr 9 Up—Everyone who grows up in Mercer knows the Midwestern town is haunted. People hear whispers from the teenagers who died in the tornado back in 1961, see strange lights at the cemetery, hear creaking and scratching in old houses, and swear that the crow that visits is the spirit of someone long dead. Here, three teenagers feel disconnected from their own lives. Joshua, who once was bullied for being overweight, dreamed of coming out and being a voice for the LGBTQ youth in town. Instead, he becomes an invisible pariah. Brenna has grown up hearing that she is not enough. Not Mexican enough for her abuela, white enough for Mercer, or clever or interesting enough for her boyfriend. Callie's mother is dying of cancer, and this once-bright track star has retreated deep within, trying to empty herself so she doesn't have to feel her overwhelming grief. When a tornado touches down on the anniversary of the big storm of '61, Callie, Brenna, and Joshua are drawn together by their longing for connection—a longing powerful enough to call to the dead. Despite their differences, these three characters are able to find their true selves with one another in this hauntingly atmospheric coming-of-age story. While the pacing starts out slow, dedicated readers will be rewarded with fully realized characters, an empowering message, and a highly satisfying conclusion. Readers should note, the book contains references to anorexia and bulimia. VERDICT This sophisticated ghost story is recommended, especially where novels about grief are needed.—Leighanne Law, Scriber Lake High School, WA
Kirkus Reviews
2019-06-23
Three outcast teens come together when a tornado stirs up literal and figurative ghosts in their small Midwestern town.
In 1961, a tornado touched down at a drive-in movie in Mercer, Illinois, killing almost all of the town's teenage population. Half a century later, that loss still haunts Mercer's residents, and when another tornado strikes the same location, the current batch of teens are especially rattled. There have always been rumors that those killed in the old tragedy remain in Mercer as Storm Spirits, and three misfit high school students think they might be starting to receive the spirits' messages. Joshua, who feels invisible at school due to his weight and sexuality, teams up with Brenna, whose contentious relationships with her family and a toxic ex-boyfriend compound the loneliness she feels as a Latina in a predominantly white community, and Callie, who has slid into an eating disorder as her mother's terminal illness progresses. The three share alternating point-of-view narration interspersed with a Greek chorus of the Storm Spirits' collective voices. Joshua, Brenna, and Callie are all sympathetic characters, but their slow-burn story is smothered under the weight of ponderous, self-serious narration. An incest survivor is deeply othered. All three teens' "Very Special Issues" are too tidily swept away when their drawn-out conclusion finally arrives. What starts as a delicate ghost story ultimately collapses under its own slow weight.
Too much dead calm, not nearly enough storm. (Paranormal. 12-18)