“This tenuousness practically sings in the book’s latter half, as a trip meant to reunite Sarah with an old friend drives home for her the quintessential alienation humans feel, as if the title could be a sentence uttered either by Sarah or her Russian acquaintances. No spoilers, here, don’t worry — but it wouldn’t make… Read more »
Posts Categorized: News
NYTBR Editors’ Choice
You Are One of Them is a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice.
Amazon’s 10 Best Books of the Month
You Are One of Them was chosen as one of Amazon’s Ten Best Books of the Month for June.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune Review
From the Minneapolis Star Tribune: “It’s that ambiguity that lends the conclusion of You Are One of Them its power. The resolution to Holt’s novel brings together all of the elements raised in the preceding pages, from saber-rattling to childhood betrayals. It’s a dramatically satisfying ending that invokes those things that we can never know… Read more »
New York Times Book Review podcast
I joined the New York Times Book Review podcast to talk about You Are One of Them, which was reviewed in the May 26th issue.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer Review
From The Plain Dealer: “The word ‘defect’ exemplifies our language’s weird elasticity. It’s the most active of verbs, connoting the choice to desert an old reality in favor of a new one. But as a noun its feel is passive, conjuring an object broken and robbed of worth.Both meanings are at play in Elliott Holt’s… Read more »
The Masters Review
Thanks to The Masters Review for this: “You Are One of Them takes the reader on an in-depth exploration of friendship, the reliability of memories, and the maturity it takes to reconcile these feelings to a satisfying end. Perhaps what Holt so skillfully portrays is that our memories and the truths within those memories are constantly… Read more »
The Inspiration for You Are One of Them
Elliott Holt on Samantha Smith, the girl who became famous for writing a letter to Soviet Premier Yuri Andropov, asking for peace.
Micawbers Books recommends You Are One of Them
Thanks to Micawbers, an independent bookstore in St. Paul, MN, for this kind endorsement: “Holt has put together a story that I think perfectly captures the angst and worry of children witnessing the Cold War arms race. Set in both Washington, D.C. and Russia, the book centers around a friendship between two young girls. As… Read more »
Three Guys One Book Review
“It is hard not to throw bouquets at this book, or make it sound like the best thing since sliced bread.” Jason Rice was very kind in his review of You Are One of Them for Three Guys One Book.