“We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves” by Karen Joy Fowler – Rediscovering One's Life

Many of us have the benefit of having been raised in normal families (well within the range of what is considered normal behavior), without too much unnecessary turmoil and drama.

When it comes to literature characters however, a calm and steady upbringing surely won't qualify you for the role of protagonist...something Rosemary seems to understand perfectly well in We Are All Completely Besides Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler.

Rosemary, our narrator, begins her story somewhere in the middle while dangling a rather enthralling premise in front of us. She lived happily enough as one of the Cooke's, alongside her parents, brother Lowell, and her sister Fern.

There was only one slight detail: Fern was a chimpanzee. Indeed, we learn that the first eighteen years of Rosemary's life were defined by that one fact, that she was not only raised with a chimpanzee, but that she also ended up becoming her other, inseparable half.

Rather unfortunately though, when Rosemary was about six years of age Fern was removed from the family, and through the following decade she managed to block out a rather surprising number of memories.

And so begins the journey to rediscover Rosemary's past, unearthing the countless memories of joy, sadness, wonder and despair that have marked her life until then.

As you can already tell, the premise behind We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves is a bit of a unique one, and it certainly serves it purpose in hooking you in from the start, making you wonder about all the unusual stories Rosemary may have hidden away in her memories.

This is a slower-paced book, one devoid of much action and thrills, so if that's the stuff you're after I'm afraid this book won't suit you.

On the other hand, if you take well to slower-paced stories that take their time in exposing the world and its people to you, making you appreciate every single detail, then you'll find Karen Joy Fowler excels at that, at least in this work of writing.

The characters all feel unique and interesting, distinct enough from one another that you'll never got confused as to who is who. They all have their own voices, ideas and imperfections, making them feel very human in their actions.

I have to say that this goes especially for Rosemary, the protagonist and our narrator; though she is certainly smart and cunning, she is also a young, vulnerable and innocent person who is venturing into the unknown, one that could turn out to be darker than what she had ever anticipated.

So does the whole thing with the chimpanzee actually pay off in some way, or is it just the bait to reel you into the pages? Well, I will admit that personally, some of the scenes revolving around the chimpanzee felt a tad forced and cringe-worthy, almost artificial in a certain sense.

They are far and few in-between however, and for the most part Fern does have some rather interesting roles to play and insightful things to teach.

All things taken into consideration, if you are the kind of person who enjoys slower-paced novels that are character-driven and give you plenty of food for thought while immersing you in an older, stranger world, then I believe you'll most certainly enjoy this novel.

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Karen Joy Fowler Personal site Karen Joy Fowler is an American writer who has written various science-fiction and fantasy novels, with many of her stories taking place in the nineteenth century and revolving around women. So far her best-known work is The Jane Austen Book Club, which was made into a movie of the same name. Amongst her many awards she has the 2004 and 2008 Nebula Awards as well as the 2014 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction.