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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
This book is a little confusing for me to rate, so I’m just not going to rate it.
The author handled the topic of intersex and the aftermath of Hunter very well and it was an eye opening book in that regard. It was also amazing how distinct the voices were and everything. However, I do think this book had quite a few problems and so, while parts of this book are a 5 star read, others are a 1 star read for me.
Firstly, the DIALOGUE between the teenagers (Max and his friends, Sylvie and her friends, Sylvie and Max, etc.) is probably the most cringe worthy dialogue I have had to read through. It paints teenagers as super immature, which was weird because when we had Max and Sylvie’s points of views and were inside their heads, they were pretty mature and didn’t seem like they would sound like that.
Second, I really really hated the mom. I understand that unlikable characters are needed and I think most of my problem has to do with the fact that she was so unlikable and terrible and not contested by any of the other characters until the end. I understand the dad was also not being there - and he should’ve been mentally present a lot more - but the mom was just so overwhelming terrible. She wouldn’t listen to her son about anything and it seemed as if she hated him and who he was because he might like boys? I know that’s not the whole thing but she was supppperrrr homophobic and there is only one line where it is addressed by Archie and all she says is something along the lines of wouldn’t be bad if Max also liked guys and then completely dropped it. So yeah that part also rubbed me the wrong way because basically everyone was pretty close minded about it but she literally was ANGRY at her son because she thought he was gay for A WHILE.
There is also one part near the end where the dad kind of victim blames - well he like mom of victim blames - and is like oh this SUPER TRAUMATIC THING wouldn’t have happened if one thing about his upbringing was different which was also just like a really shitty thing to say because like, maybe Max would’ve addressed what happened earlier, but the way he was raised didn’t justify or explain what happened to him ya know???
So I can’t confidentially rate this because the overall message the book was trying to depict came across really really well, but I also had these problems and I don’t know what that means for how I feel about this book.
The author handled the topic of intersex and the aftermath of Hunter very well and it was an eye opening book in that regard. It was also amazing how distinct the voices were and everything. However, I do think this book had quite a few problems and so, while parts of this book are a 5 star read, others are a 1 star read for me.
Firstly, the DIALOGUE between the teenagers (Max and his friends, Sylvie and her friends, Sylvie and Max, etc.) is probably the most cringe worthy dialogue I have had to read through. It paints teenagers as super immature, which was weird because when we had Max and Sylvie’s points of views and were inside their heads, they were pretty mature and didn’t seem like they would sound like that.
Second, I really really hated the mom. I understand that unlikable characters are needed and I think most of my problem has to do with the fact that she was so unlikable and terrible and not contested by any of the other characters until the end. I understand the dad was also not being there - and he should’ve been mentally present a lot more - but the mom was just so overwhelming terrible. She wouldn’t listen to her son about anything and it seemed as if she hated him and who he was because he might like boys? I know that’s not the whole thing but she was supppperrrr homophobic and there is only one line where it is addressed by Archie and all she says is something along the lines of wouldn’t be bad if Max also liked guys and then completely dropped it. So yeah that part also rubbed me the wrong way because basically everyone was pretty close minded about it but she literally was ANGRY at her son because she thought he was gay for A WHILE.
There is also one part near the end where the dad kind of victim blames - well he like mom of victim blames - and is like oh this SUPER TRAUMATIC THING wouldn’t have happened if one thing about his upbringing was different which was also just like a really shitty thing to say because like, maybe Max would’ve addressed what happened earlier, but the way he was raised didn’t justify or explain what happened to him ya know???
So I can’t confidentially rate this because the overall message the book was trying to depict came across really really well, but I also had these problems and I don’t know what that means for how I feel about this book.
Well that is the over-riding theme to Abigail Tarttelin’s second novel Golden Boy. In Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice the great bard wrote ‘The truth will out’ and that is exactly what Max Walker’s family have spent the past 16 years trying to prevent. Max was born intersex. Even now, not a lot is known about how this happens but the affect that it can have on the individual – let alone their families – can be devastating. The Walkers have managed to keep Max’s intersexuality clandestine, only close family and friends are aware of his “condition.” However, when someone close to Max takes advantage of him the protective walls that have been put up around Max come tumbling down with distressing results.
It has to be said that it is so very rare to find a book that will simultaneously break my heart, have me clutching my chest in panic and have me aching so palpably for the characters; when I find a novel that can do that I know that I have found something special. Golden Boy is a fantastic insight into a world that we may have little or no knowledge of – in this case hermaphroditism – and combines it so seamlessly with worlds we have been a part of such as the intricacies of family life, being a parent and being a teenager. Tarttelin’s seemingly effortless switch between different character voices is truly remarkable that one can only sit in awe of this promising young talent.
Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin is available now.
You can follow Abigail Tarttelin (@abigailsbrain) on Twitter.
* Review originally published on Different Scene
It has to be said that it is so very rare to find a book that will simultaneously break my heart, have me clutching my chest in panic and have me aching so palpably for the characters; when I find a novel that can do that I know that I have found something special. Golden Boy is a fantastic insight into a world that we may have little or no knowledge of – in this case hermaphroditism – and combines it so seamlessly with worlds we have been a part of such as the intricacies of family life, being a parent and being a teenager. Tarttelin’s seemingly effortless switch between different character voices is truly remarkable that one can only sit in awe of this promising young talent.
Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin is available now.
You can follow Abigail Tarttelin (@abigailsbrain) on Twitter.
* Review originally published on Different Scene
ooof this hit a bit too hard i cried most of the way through... there’s so much here and everything hurts
People should read this book. It is important. This is about all I can say without spoiling the book. I always recommend reading books without reading the back cover or flaps and this is no exception. Let it unfold on its own.
[now the spoilers]
First and foremost, this is a book about rape. It is the rape that mutes, paralyzes and depresses Max, not his intersexness. Of course the rape sets in motion all the book's action, but take away the fact of his being intersex and the story could still be the same.
To the degree it is a story about rape, I liked it. As far as a book about intersex, it felt like a parable. There were good doctors (who spoke to Max, who wanted to know him as an individual, who sought the newest information) and bad doctors (who called him "hermaphrodite," who wanted to take pictures of Max, but not talk to him, who were itching for "corrective" surgery). When the good doctor was talking to rape victim Max, she was compassionate, empathetic and informative. When she was talking to intersex Max and his family, she read like a Wikipedia entry. By the time little brother Daniel was reciting statistics on the occurrence of intersex in the population, I wanted to get out a big red editing pen.
I won't say we don't need propaganda -- or at the very least, education. Tarttelin is advancing a very intersex-friendly view. I expect she hopes to spark conversation about intersex. Admirable, but too obvious for a novel.
One other thing that nagged: if Max was so unwilling to acknowledge the rape, would he really have gone for the morning after pill? It seems like he was relatively unaware of his feminine anatomy -- certainly not to the point of having his first thoughts be "pregnancy!"
Other than that, I really liked it. I could imagine a controlling mother, a compliant child, complex emotions brought on by pregnancy. I loved Max and Sylvia's relationship, as well as Max and Daniel's. I'm grateful to Tarttelin for tackling this timely topic in a book that is as accessible for teens as adults.
[now the spoilers]
First and foremost, this is a book about rape. It is the rape that mutes, paralyzes and depresses Max, not his intersexness. Of course the rape sets in motion all the book's action, but take away the fact of his being intersex and the story could still be the same.
To the degree it is a story about rape, I liked it. As far as a book about intersex, it felt like a parable. There were good doctors (who spoke to Max, who wanted to know him as an individual, who sought the newest information) and bad doctors (who called him "hermaphrodite," who wanted to take pictures of Max, but not talk to him, who were itching for "corrective" surgery). When the good doctor was talking to rape victim Max, she was compassionate, empathetic and informative. When she was talking to intersex Max and his family, she read like a Wikipedia entry. By the time little brother Daniel was reciting statistics on the occurrence of intersex in the population, I wanted to get out a big red editing pen.
I won't say we don't need propaganda -- or at the very least, education. Tarttelin is advancing a very intersex-friendly view. I expect she hopes to spark conversation about intersex. Admirable, but too obvious for a novel.
One other thing that nagged: if Max was so unwilling to acknowledge the rape, would he really have gone for the morning after pill? It seems like he was relatively unaware of his feminine anatomy -- certainly not to the point of having his first thoughts be "pregnancy!"
Other than that, I really liked it. I could imagine a controlling mother, a compliant child, complex emotions brought on by pregnancy. I loved Max and Sylvia's relationship, as well as Max and Daniel's. I'm grateful to Tarttelin for tackling this timely topic in a book that is as accessible for teens as adults.
emotional
hopeful
This is the second book I’ve read that deals with being intersex. I’ve thought both handled the topic really well, but this one was definitely more harrowing. This covers pretty much every trigger warning, the book actually starts off with a pretty graphic scene of sexual assault which was hard to read and it doesn’t really get any easier from there. But that said, as with many other books which are hard to read, it is a really important story and one that people need to read and educate themselves about because it’s sadly not something covered in sex Ed in high school. I really liked the multiple perspectives you get with this and especially seeing it from Daniel’s (the little brother) perspective was really great. My only slight issue was the pacing of the book felt off to me at sometimes, but that being said it’s definitely a book people need to read and I loved the audio for this (if you like audiobooks).
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective