The People We Keep: Book Review
Some books sneak up on you quietly and then refuse to let go—The People We Keep is one of those rare gems. Set in the 1990s, this tender coming-of-age story follows April, a young woman with a battered guitar, a broken home, and a burning need to find her place in the world. What unfolds is a deeply moving exploration of music, belonging, and the families we build when the ones we’re born into fail us. Alison Larkin’s writing captures both the ache of loneliness and the beauty of connection, making this novel resonate long after the last page.
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Quick Look
- upstate NY setting
- perfect for winter reading
- full of 1990s nostalgia
- found family
Published August 3, 2021 by Gallery Books
Publisher's Synopsis
Little River, New York, 1994: April Sawicki is living in a motorless motorhome that her father won in a poker game. Failing out of school, picking up shifts at a local diner, she’s left fending for herself in a town where she’s never quite felt at home. When she “borrows” her neighbor’s car to perform at an open mic night, she realizes her life could be much bigger than where she came from. After a fight with her dad, April packs her stuff and leaves for good, setting off on a journey to find a life that’s all hers.
Driving without a chosen destination, she stops to rest in Ithaca. Her only plan is to survive, but as she looks for work, she finds a kindred sense of belonging at Cafe Decadence, the local coffee shop. Still, somehow, it doesn’t make sense to her that life could be this easy. The more she falls in love with her friends in Ithaca, the more she can’t shake the feeling that she’ll hurt them the way she’s been hurt. As April moves through the world, meeting people who feel like home, she chronicles her life in the songs she writes and discovers that where she came from doesn’t dictate who she has to be.
My Review
This one might come as a bit of a surprise, but The People We Keep absolutely earns a spot on my list of the best historical fiction reads—for the simple reason that it rocked my world in the best way possible. Set in the early 1990s, this novel offers a powerful sense of nostalgia that spoke straight to my Gen X soul. From the music references to the small-town diners and worn-out cassette tapes, every detail pulled me right back to a time that feels both distant and incredibly familiar.
At the heart of the story is April, a fiercely independent yet heartbreakingly vulnerable young woman who is just trying to find a place where she belongs. Her journey is filled with detours, heartbreak, and unexpected moments of hope—making her story feel so real and relatable, especially for anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider searching for connection.
My Rating
The People We Keep isn’t just a nostalgic trip; it’s an emotional experience. It beautifully captures the feeling of being young, lost, and determined to carve out a life on your own terms. So put on your ripped straight-leg jeans, dust off your favorite Nirvana T-shirt, and settle in for a story that will tug at your heartstrings and linger with you long after you turn the final page. Trust me—this is one book you don’t want to miss.
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