Books › What I Was
What I Was
240 pages
An atmospheric, coastal coming-of-age tale driven by the intense, consuming gravity of an isolated adolescent friendship.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like standing on a windswept, isolated coastline—stark, atmospheric, and deeply introspective. It captures the restless, disgruntled energy of adolescence and channels it into a steady, consuming exploration of an obsessive friendship. The narrative is steeped in a nostalgic 1960s boarding school atmosphere, contrasting the rigid structures of schoolboy life with the wild, untamed edge of the sea. The prose reflects this tension, drawing the reader into the intense interiority of youth and the magnetic pull of a solitary existence. It is a perfect match for readers who are drawn to quiet, character-driven coming-of-age stories where the emotional landscape is as rugged and isolated as the physical setting.
- Mood
- atmospheric
- isolated
- coastal
- brooding
- Tone
- introspective
- intense
- restless
- nostalgic
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- adolescent alienation · obsessive friendship · coming of age · isolation · the boundaries of youth
- The writing
- Atmospheric and introspective, capturing the stark coastal setting and the intense interiority of youth.
- The arc
- Moves from disgruntled isolation to an intense, consuming connection, navigating the turbulent boundaries of adolescence.
- Who it's for
- Readers who enjoy atmospheric, character-driven coming-of-age stories centered on intense, isolated adolescent friendships.
Content notes
- obsessive behavior
- adolescent angst
About the book
In the 1960s, off the coast of East Anglia, a disgruntled boarding school student develops an obsessive friendship with a boy living by himself at the edge of the sea.
Description from Open Library.
Books like What I Was
See why they match
Just In CaseMeg RosoffAn eccentric, dread-tinged exploration of a teenager trying to outrun his own mortality through sheer force of reinvention.
How I Live NowMeg RosoffA breathless, fever-dream of a survival story where a sun-drenched, rule-free summer abruptly descends into the brutal chaos of an unnamed war.
When Marnie Was ThereJoan G. RobinsonA haunting, salt-breezed exploration of childhood loneliness and the healing power of a mysterious, dreamlike friendship.
WingerAndrew SmithA hilarious, hormone-drenched boarding school romp that unexpectedly shatters your heart into a million pieces.
Openly straightBill KonigsbergA funny, heartfelt exploration of what happens when the desire to shed labels accidentally means shedding your true self.
Beyond the Bright SeaLauren WolkA windswept, lyrical journey about a girl searching the horizon for her past, only to realize her true home is already beside her.