We Were Here (novel)

Plot

The story begins as Miguel is caught for a crime he committed. At sentencing, the judge confines him to a group home for a year with the additional requirement that he write a journal. The novel unfolds as Miguel's personal journal entries.

Before leaving for the group home, he is placed in a juvenile detention center for holding. There, he gets into a fight with a boy named Rondell. Upon his arrival at the group home, he gets into another fight, this time with a kid living there named Mong.

About a month into Miguel's sentence, Rondell, from the detention center, also moves to the group home and is assigned to share a room with Miguel. The three boys forgo their previous altercations and join together to devise an escape plan, introduced by Mong. In preparation, Miguel steals money (about $750) and the three's personal files from the counselor's office.

While on the run, Mong attacks and ties up an old racist male cashier. Meanwhile, Miguel reads the other two boys' files and learns about their extremely troubled pasts. He however is unable to read his own file, and tears up all three. Rondell accidentally tells an undercover officer his name, forcing the three to flee to avoid capture.

Just as they think themselves safe, two men attempt to mug them. The boys leave and attempt to run further south in California, where Mong eventually drowns himself. Miguel and Rondell decide to continue south to Mexico, but Miguel is mentally unable to cross the border and as a result Rondell follows in his footsteps and returns from crossing the border not long after. As a result, the two boys return north. Miguel meets a girl named Flaca from whom he develops feelings for; unfortunately, she was only in the relationship to steal his money. As a result, they don't have money to buy food and Miguel refuses to steal. The two boys starve for about a week until finally Miguel comes up with an idea to promote a fake basketball team for money. To make additional money Miguel visits his grandparent for work and after 3 days he has enough money to pay back "the lighthouse" (the group home) in order to pay back the money that he stole.

Up until this point Miguel has been unable to even admit to himself that he stabbed his brother. It wasn't until his grandmother "spilled" that Rondell got Miguel to talk about it.

The conclusion of the story is Miguel going back to "the lighthouse" to give back the money he stole and do his time. Rondell shows up not long after to make things right and do his time as well.

Reception

We Were Here received mostly positive reviews. Publishers Weekly said it was "furiously paced" and described the book as "gripping" with "raw yet reflective journal entries." The journal also praised its "inverse authenticity." One reviewer, Hazel Rochman, noted the theme: "The riveting climax shows without heavy message that the hero's journey is a search for himself."