The Rest of Us Just Live Here

The Rest of Us Just Live Here, a novel by critically acclaimed young adult (YA) author Patrick Ness, tells the story of Mikey, a high school senior living in a fictional town in the state of Washington. The novel follows Mikey as graduation approaches and he navigates the anxieties and uncertainties of love, friendship, and the fear of leaving behind everything he’s grown up with. Ness, the author of the widely lauded Chaos Walking trilogy and standalone novel A Monster Calls, is gay and often uses the YA genre to explore the possibilities and pitfalls that modern masculinity offers young men. In The Rest of Us Just Live Here, Mikey’s senses of masculinity and self are tested by a mental health condition and the realization that all of the relationships he most cherishes in life are inescapably temporary.

This Study Guide refers to the first US edition of The Rest of Us Just Live Here published by HarperTeen in 2015.

Content Warning: The source text includes mentions of suicidal ideation, detailed depictions of obsessive compulsive disorder, and references to alcohol addiction, disordered eating, and anti-LGBTQ+ bias.

Plot Summary

The Rest of Us Just Live Here is narrated by

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