We All Looked Up

Then this is the book for you. So far beyond most YA, it's like the difference between the plot force of the asteroid hurtling towards the earth in this novel and a whiffle ball tossed at your ankle by a crabby toddler. So full of life and joy and loss and longing that it will invigorate any thoughtful reader of any age - I am 48 and consider myself lucky to live in a universe shared with Tommy Wallach. Wow. This guy is a major talent and I can't wait to get my eyeballs on everything else he's written! Set in present day Seattle, this is the story of 4 teenagers from the same high school (but from very different layers of the social strata), who along with everyone else in earth have learned there's about a 66% chance the planet will be destroyed in 6 weeks by an asteroid (or a meteor?) named Ardor. Which has a way of making everybody question their most basic assumptions about life, even and especially teenagers. Now that "the future" has all but disappeared, what will they do in the time remaining? Does anything matter at all anymore, or does every single thing matter more with each passing minute in the countdown to the most likely end of the world? I loved the characters, the dialogue, the story, and maybe most of all I loved how this novel made me think about my own life, loved ones, and our weirdly durable but incredibly fragile world - even changed the way I read the news in these volatile days of extreme partisanship. Thank you Tommy Wallach!

We All Looked Up unfolds like a pre-apocalyptic Breakfast Club, with a lot of character depth and a lot to say about teens struggling with their identities and futures. The book follows four main characters, and I’ll introduce them by their high-school types, even though they all have so much more complexity than the type. Peter is the athlete with a scholarship, Eliza is the girl with the bad reputation, Andy is the skateboarding slacker in a band, and Anita is the overachiever headed to Princeton. Author Wallach intertwines their stories, alternating the narration—not first person, but about as close to first person as third-person limited can allow. Instead of chapters, there are ten parts, broken into narration for each of the characters. Structurally, it’s expertly handled, and even when the characters’ paths cross, there’s never a doubt whose headspace the reader primarily inhabits. The first part introduces the characters very nicely, giving enough of their family background as well. And each have a moment where they catch the first glimpses of the asteroid ARDR-1388 (later referenced as Ardor—a name rife with symbolism). What most impressed me in this part was how each character noticed the next one to be introduced. This gave the story incredible fluidity, given the usually difficult convention of multiple narratives. It’s not forced at all here. The story progresses into their divergent ways of initially dealing with the news that there’s a 66.7% chance the asteroid will hit. Peter starts volunteering more. Eliza documents events with photographs on her blog. Andy just wants to lose his virginity. Anita wants to rebel against her overbearing parents and become a singer. All their goals are true and believable, but this book is about the journey more than the destination, and watching their journeys converge and collide and change and grow was what this book was really about. These characters are interconnected from the get-go, in ways that are superficial (Peter’s younger sister “Misery” dates Andy’s bandmate Bobo), and shocking (I won’t reveal how others are), but it goes with an idea presented in the book that they’re a part of a karass. As Kurt Vonnegut describes it, a karass is a group of people unpredictably but spiritually linked together. That got me to thinking about the television show Lost, and when I start comparing a book to that show, the book is affecting me on a profound level. These characters—like many young adults (or people in general)—were lost in their own ways, but can they come together for a greater good—even if that greater good is throwing a kick-ass end of the world party? My biggest issue with the book, unfortunately, is the large volume of inappropriate behavior: foul language, violence, drinking and drug use, and disrespect for parents and authority in general. I’m not asking for squeaky clean teenage characters—I’m a high school teacher and I understand reality—and I want my teen characters to be flawed and to make mistakes and even to sound and act realistically. They do most of the time, but for a few parts before the final one, the situations they find themselves in read a little too outlandish. Their parents (not fully realized characters by any means) become almost non-existent, and though a book about the characters sitting safe at home would be boring to read, believability is lacking in those few parts. The final part, however, is well executed. I won’t spoil it here, but I liked where three out of four main characters ended up. And I though the philosophical questions that are raised—particularly by Eliza—are really strong. The structure of the book is great. The four main characters are complex, relatable, and interesting to read about. The story is less about the asteroid and more about the theme of doing what we can with the time we have. They all collide together well for about 66.7% of the book, which makes it looking up at FOUR STARS.

Bought this for my 13yo and this is his review: We All Looked Up is a story not of catastrophe or violence though there is much of it nonetheless. This book is a story of figuring out how you want to be seen. It talks about shedding all labels and coming together as a group or as it says in the book, a karass. All different people are represented but in the end, faced with major catastrophe, they all share the bond of friendship and as people. There are no labels anymore, just one collective group of people who strive to live their lives, however short they may be, together and as a people — a collective whole. A family of outsiders in a world where everyone is now an outsider. Written from all of the characters’ points of view, this books is chock full of heart, humor, and love. Explicit content in the book. Not for under 11yo.

As a fan of apocalyptic literature I was very intrigued by the premise of this book. How do four typical teenagers deal with the anticipated coming of the end of the world? The first half of the book held my interest and at first I found the students to be very relatable. However as the book continued, I felt the story turned from a coming of age story to the young people verses the establishment and some of the plot lines did not make sense. The first part of the book spent time establishing the relationships the students had with their parents and by the end of the book they were either wrapped up too qucikly or just forgotten. The second half of the book left a lot to be desired. The ending not as powerful as the beginning.

We All Looked Up is my favorite read of 2015 so far. I am a fan of realistic novels with strong plots and well-drawn, relatable characters (I'm not that unusual here), and oh boy did I love this book. I love how the characters are far, far from perfect and make plenty of realistic mistakes. Sometimes I feel like multiple POV novels don't work, but that's because it's a hard trick to pull off, and Wallach pulls it off beautifully. This book was funny, sad, thought-provoking, and interesting.

With some clichés, but the messages are just on point for YA 🥰

Because if I'd never read it, then I'd get to read it again for the first time. A beautiful book. Thoroughly enjoyed reading and the ending was perfect. Engaging characters and a creative way of telling a story. Excellent!

This book is a gem, I loved the topic an how the story has been developed. It was supposed to be my summer reading but I actually finished well before the end of my holiday. I definitely recommend it!

Me lo pidió la niña y le ha encantado y fácil de leer.

"We All Looked Up" is an intense and gripping story that begins with a Presidential broadcast about an asteroid on a collision course with Earth that threatens the extinction of mankind within two months. Seen through the eyes of four teens - a jock, an outcast, a slacker and a nerd- the setting becomes all too real with the mounting violence, chaos and fear. Set in Seattle at Hamilton, a High School broken into factions, the students are stereotyped. Yet as the cataclysmic event draws closer and the school begins to be policed, the lives of four diverse students become entangled as if by fate. One of these is Eliza Olivi, a brilliant, reserved photographer who with one kiss in a dark room has been labelled a slut. Ostracized by the boy's self-absorbed and superficial girlfriend Stacy and her friends, Eliza haunted already by loss changes and embodies the tag she's been given. Popular and athletic Peter Roeslin unwilling to admit his infatuation with Eliza because it could upset his future plans suddenly awakens to the shallowness of his life becoming more self-aware and helping out at Friendly Forks. Anita Graves is a nerd dominated by parents with high expectations for her future while she yearns for a career in music. Talented, rich, aloof and defensive she finds a kindred spirit in her rebellion and love of music with a slacker- Andy Rowen. Disillusioned with life and caught up in partying, drinking, drugs and bad company, Andy gravitates towards the determination and ambitious Anita although he craves losing his virginity to Eliza. Together the four struggle through triumphs and failures, experiencing Pyrrhic victories, where winning is costly or could mean losing everything. The plot is well-developed and filled with twists and turns that escalate tension and suspense as Ardor draws closer to Earth. The mood is dark and dismal, realistic in a world facing annihilation. Yet Tommy Wallach dilutes the hopelessness with spurts of humor like Andy's futility in trying to win Eliza. Beautifully innovative and imaginative, the story blends violence, family dynamics, sexuality, ethnicity, and crime with love, compassion and friendship. Even in the end as people gather, praying for mercy, grace and forgiveness, there is a strong element of hope for the future . For a first novel Tommy Wallach's "We All Looked Up" is intoxicating and stirring as he explores the minds, hearts and spirits of four young people swept up in apocalyptic events that will impact not only their futures but that of humanity. I rate it highly.