Review: We Contain Multitudes

We Contain Multitudes by Sarah Henstra


My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I will start by saying I am not one for much romance and less so when it involves teenagers. Perhaps I am a bit crotchety in my ‘old’ age but it just isn’t my ‘thing’. That being said, I picked up the book for the sheer mechanics of it. As an author, myself, I found it fascinating to have an entire novel told through the view point of letters between two individuals. I’ve seen it once or twice and the one other time I tried to read such a book it was far too convoluted and confusing for me to stick with it. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was not the case with We Contain Multitudes.

The book was not only whimsically and fabulously crafted, but the actual plot and story between the two characters was both moving and realistic in a way I did not expect in a YA novel, let alone something written through the proverbial eyes of pen pal letters. It quickly became one of the few books I could not put down and was devoured very quickly once I started reading. The development of character between the two MCs as well as their own personal developments was told in beautiful, realistic prose from individual points of view. I also now feel the need to revisit the works of Walt Whitman thanks to this novel.

Wonderfully and masterfully done. It is definitely a must read.





View all my reviews