Romance – Page 15 – My Good Reads

‘Two Boys Kissing’ – David Levithan

Two Boys Kissing

The Valentines Reading Challenge seemed the perfect opportunity to get round to reading this novel by Levithan.

Inspired by a misremembered Walt Whitman quote, a real-life attempt to break a Guinness World Record and a need to chart some of the ways in which the attitudes to homosexuality have/haven’t developed over time this is a novel that gets under your skin.

The story is narrated, in the main, by a Greek style chorus representing the voices of gay men of the past. The idea of older men – whose lives have been affected in every different ways by their sexuality – narrating the tales of the younger gay men in this novel is an interesting one. There is a real sense of history here – putting certain events in context and showing just things have changed. Sometimes for the better; but, often, nowhere near far enough.

The central characters – Harry and Craig – are ex-partners who have remained close friends. Their attempt to kiss non-stop for over 32 hours becomes the focal point for many younger boys who are coming to terms with their identity and how it will impact on their lives/relationships.

There’s a lot of characters here, and we get little more than a superficial insight into their lives, but it’s enough. I’d urge you to read this if you haven’t already.

‘A Quiet Kind of Thunder’ – Sara Barnard

A Quiet Kind of Thunder

An intriguing title, and the cover unashamedly sells itself as a romance. It’s not brash or showy – but it will leave a rather warm feeling in you.

Steffi has, since she was young, been selectively mute and she suffers with social anxiety. Rhys is the new boy to her school and, because she knows some BSL, Steffi is asked to show him around. Initially, Steffi is acutely conscious of the fact that what she calls the two oddballs are thrown together. As she gets to know Rhys, she realises that it doesn’t matter. In each other, they find their voice.

Perhaps the focus on their developing relationship will be more appealing to the target audience. Following them from their first talk, through their texting to the inevitable boyfriend/girlfriend conversation and then onto their developing sexual relationship felt a little earnest to me. However, it does seem churlish to criticise a romance for focusing on the romance!

On the whole, this was a well-writer read – it just didn’t strike quite the same chord with me as Barnard’s ‘Beautiful Broken Things’.

‘The Memory Book’ – Lara Avery

The Memory Book

Sammie is a girl with a plan – valedictorian, on the class debate team, determined to go to NYU – but sometimes the best-laid plans just don’t work out. Often it’s through something we have done – but in Sammie’s case it is because she is diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder that she is told will slowly steal her memories.

Dementia/the loss of memories has to be one of the cruellest illnesses I can imagine as you lose your sense of identity and what makes you who you are. This is cruel at any time, but particularly for a young girl on the cusp of independence.

Sammie is determined to not give in without a fight…and so her memory book is born, where she writes notes to her future self about all the things that are happening to her. In turns funny, but often sad, this was an interesting technique to help us see the character develop.

Initially I found the book little slow, but as we watch Sammie and her family trying to adjust to living with this condition it was quite heartbreaking. The obligatory first romance with her childhood crush, Stuart, was not all that appealing to me – I was far more invested in the developing relationship between Sammie and her childhood best friend, Cooper.

Like some of the other books that explore teen illness I guess there is no happy ending here. I’m quite relieved that Avery chose to leave us with Sammie in the best place she could be at that time, before it all got too miserable. I know there are people who like their books to be realistic, but in this case I was more than happy to be left wondering what might happen next.

Thanks to publishers Hachette and NetGalley for the chance to read an advance copy of this.

‘The Song of Achilles’ – Madeline Miller

The Song of Achilles

When we first meet Patroclus he is a young prince, awkward in his own skin, and definitely feeling that he is seen as a disappointment to his father. When he is exiled to the kingdom of Phthia, Patroclus comes to spend time with Achilles – the boy who is rumoured will grow up to be the greatest Greek fighter of all times.

We watch the boys grow up together and, even though they are very different, they form a strong bond. This disappoints Thetis, the mother of Achilles, who does all she can to separate the two young men.

An interview I read with Miller while I was reading this talks of her desire to understand why a character such as Achilles acts as he does (which didn’t seem to be of much interest to Homer). This, I think, explains why the first half of the book feels rather slow-the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus has to be established so that we understand the love they share.

Once we venture into the war of Troy, Miller’s writing really came into its own for me. Richly evoked, while holding little back, and seamlessly blending the worlds of mortals and gods.

The concepts explored in this story are, indeed, timeless and it really made me wish I had more than a passing acquaintance with some of the stories of Greek mythology.

For anyone who thinks Classics is a dull subject…I’d say read this and you may be pleasantly surprised.

‘We Come Apart’ – Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan

We Come Apart

Sarah Crossan appears to be on a mission to highlight for teen readers the joy that verse can bring – and when it’s as good as this collaboration I am not going to complain.

Scheduled for publication on 9th February 2017, I’m really grateful to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this early.

The story is told through two distinctive voices. On one hand we have fifteen year old Jess, spiky and caught up in a lot of trouble, but hiding the sad reality that her step-father beats up her mother and makes Jess record it. Then we have Nicu, a fifteen year old Romanian whose family have come to make enough money to enable them to return home and marry Nicu off. Neither character has it easy, and telling the story through their alternating voices allows us to reflect on the information they give us.

When the two teens meet it takes a while for them to engage with each other. Although the book felt like a quick read, it took them a while to break down their initial wariness of each other and take time to establish a bond. I liked the fact that – not through want of wishing on Nicu’s part initially – this was more about friendship and mutual support than a romance.

The voices created were distinct, and I felt represented the characters and their personalities well. I was more than a little stunned by the speed at which we reached the rather shocking climax, and though it felt unresolved in some ways I have to say the ending left me rather dewy-eyed and hoping, desperately, that some good would come out of what happened. Then I reminded myself that it was only a story!

‘Heartless’ – Marissa Meyer

Heartless

Lady Catherine is destined for great things – or she will be if her ambitious mother has her say. As a favourite of the unmarried King of Hearts, Catherine’s future as Queen seems determined. Unfortunately, Catherine has very different ambitions.

A curious mishmash of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Edgar Allen Poe poems this was an intriguing tale. From the outset we are plunged into a world of magic and mayhem, learning all about the life of the infamous Red Queen before she takes on her title.

There’s no doubt that when the story focused on the characters and events that we would expect to see in Lewis Carroll it was a riot. However, a substantial part of the story was focused on the romance between Catherine and Jest, the King’s fool (who isn’t quite what we think). For me there was just a little too much focus on the romance – but, perhaps on another day I’d have have found this more appealing.

A huge thank you to NetGalley for the advance reading copy, but I’m not entirely convinced that this will win new fans.

‘Things I Should Have Known’ – Claire LaZebnik

Things I Should Have Known

Scheduled for release in March 2017, I have to thank NetGalley for granting me access to an early copy of this novel in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Claire, on the surface, seems a typical American teenager. She has everything going for her, and is rather obsessed with popularity. Determined to help prepare her autistic sister, Ivy, to lead a more independent life, Claire decides it is time to get her a boyfriend. Ethan, a boy in Ivy’s special needs class, seems perfect. Claire can overlook the fact that Ethan is the younger brother of David, the know-it-all in her class who seems to wind her up at every opportunity.

With that kind of summary, you can – if I’m being honest – spot where this is going a mile off. However, though it clearly signals its intentions, the novel quickly veers off in another direction and was definitely better for it.

We are treated in this novel to a story that explores the issue of autism and how it can impact on everyone’s lives. We are treated to a rather sweet romance. We are also treated – and I think this was, by far, the best bit – to a frank exploration of the more complex thoughts and feelings that might be part of the experience of someone living with a family member with autism. Claire and David don’t always get things right, and they certainly have some lessons to learn about themselves and their siblings.

‘What Light’ – Jay Asher

What Light

The cover is unashamedly highlighting that this is a romance, and though it is described as ‘unforgettable’ I wasn’t totally engaged by it.

Sierra has got used to upping sticks and moving across country for Christmas every year so she can help her parents with their tree lot. Heavy on the seasonal influence, this is the kind of book best suited to reading when the nights are drawing in, it’s cold and Christmas is just around the corner.

On the occasion that we first meet Sierra we are told that this might be the last year that she and her parents will go to the lot. With her visit already touched by sadness, it is somewhat inevitable that Sierra is then going to find herself falling for Caleb, a local boy who has a bad reputation.

After a few weeks of angst and some issues with parents/friends worrying about the impact this relationship will have on Sierra, we’re then left with a lovely moment indicating this relationship might go somewhere. It is left rather up in the air, but I suppose it doesn’t hurt anyone to realise that not every issue will be resolved. It would take a very hard-hearted person to not be moved by the ending, and there were some interesting thoughts explored. Ultimately, sadly, it never really gripped me in the way it was intended.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest thoughts.

‘Twenty Questions for Gloria’ – Martyn Bedford

Gloria was missing for over two weeks, and nobody had any idea where she was. All they knew is that she was likely to be with Uman, a new boy in the area who seemed to have a hold over Gloria.

There’s no getting away from the fact that Gloria is an incredibly selfish character, who really seems most naïve in some ways. She is suffering from a state of perpetual boredom, and is clearly struggling to feel loved in a family where her brother has left for university and her parents are busy with their own interests. It’s little surprise that when Uman comes along she falls quite heavily for him. He’s different, doesn’t want to do the same things as her friends and has a strong sense of self-confidence that must be very appealing for a young girl who is so full of self-doubt.

When we first meet Gloria she is sitting with her mother in a police interview room, about to speak with the police about where she has been for the last fifteen days. Slowly, we are told some of the details about how she and Uman arrived at the decision to leave their homes and what they did during the time they were away. Gloria’s parents and the police seem convinced that Uman manipulated her into running away, but Gloria’s story denies this.

Throughout the story I have to confess to thinking how immature the two main characters were. Simply using ‘big words’ doesn’t make you clever, and the issues that they face when they are hiding out reveals clearly just how ill-equipped they are for looking after themselves.

There are hints throughout that there is more to Uman’s story than Gloria is told; we never get a satisfactory answer to this. This had the potential to be a great story – sadly, it never quite got there in my view.

‘All of the Above’ – Juno Dawson (published as James Dawson)

‘All of the Above’ is one of those books that I wish I’d been able to read as a teenager as Dawson has such a distinctive voice, exploring some of the concerns you might face with candour. That said, it isn’t exactly comfortable reading. I picked this up as it’s on the nominations for Carnegie 2017, but all I could think was I’ll never get this into our school library!

When Toria moves to the back of beyond she imagines hiding out until school finishes. What she gets instead is a rather unusual group of new friends, and some interesting experiences.

There is a small warning on the back about strong language, but exploring sexuality and showing teenagers drinking/drug-taking means this is going to be one of those novels that will get some het up about the content rather than focusing on its relevance. There is a knowingness to this that could be off-putting, and I sensed some editorial judgements that led to a real conflict. The word ‘f***k’ was starred throughout the novel, yet other terms that might be considered more derogatory were used without concern and printed in full. I’d be interested to know the background to this decision, but I did feel it painted a somewhat skewed picture of this group of teens.

Ignoring those reactions, the story itself was compelling for what it showed us about the friendships within it. Toria veers between self-obsessed drama queen and painstakingly shy – but her hesitancy and discomfort in her own skin was very real. Polly is a force to be reckoned with; not always likeable but eminently lovable. Beasley was a guy that had you rooting for him to get his happy ending. Daisy…think I’m in love! Her struggle was dealt with sympathetically, but without it all being too saccharine. Nico could have been a character to loathe, but he’s a good guy who just happens to not be the one for that moment.

While there were bits I was less keen on – the whole crazy golf setting became wearing – I felt Dawson captured well that sense of self-doubt. This was a novel that bravely shows sometimes people get it wrong, and that’s okay.