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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.
After writing a blog post for my employer's website about YA LGBTQ fiction, a colleague gave me one of the proofs for Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin that we had in store. I was intrigued by the novel as there are so few books about intersex characters, but I had no idea what a phenomenal read I was in for.
I reveal something in my summary below, but it's not a spoiler. It happens very early on in the novel, and starts off the story.
To everyone outside his family and close family friends, Max is an ordinary boy. Popular, loving, smart and affable, he's everyone's friend. What most people don't know is that Max is intersex. After he is raped by a family friend, his whole world is turned upside down. Not only is the ordeal horrific enough, but it has repercussions that ripple out into the rest of his life. He is left, lost in a whirlwind of emotion, question everything he knows about himself. Who is he, really? Is he the golden boy, or is that just who everyone else wants him to be?
Golden Boy is absolutely incredible! It is such a powerful, thought-provoking, and completely heartbreaking novel, one that is going to stay with me for a very long time after. Max knows so very little about his intersexuality. For reasons of their own, his parents decided not to tell him too much about it. Regarding his genitalia and reproductive organs, he knows what he has and what he doesn't. But he doesn't know about the discussions with doctors his parents had when he was a child. So once he's raped by his mother's best friend's son - someone he thinks of as a cousin - a vile, horrendous, absolutely sickening act, his whole perception of himself changes. Max starts to question who he is, what he is, what he should be.
Golden Boy was a big surprise to me. I am not the kind of person who copes well with heavy, depressing books. I don't mind a sad novel, but hard-hitting, melancholic, shoving-serious-issues-down-your-throat type novels I just don't get on with. I get very emotionally involved in books, so they completely affect my mood. Even once putting the book down, I can be on a real downer I struggle to get out with. And yet I will slog through a book like that, because I feel I'm doing a disservice to the characters by not reading their story, to the real people who are in similar situations. But it's hard. It's emotionally draining.
However, despite the seriousness of Golden Boy, I had no trouble reading it at all. This might be because I had no idea going in how rough things were going to get for Max - and rough they do get, unbelievably so - as you're taken by surprise at the turn of events as the story goes on. But I think it has more to do with Tarttelin's writing, and how she wrote Max. His character felt so real to me, his voice so genuine. I don't think I've ever been so emotionally attached to a character before. His fears, his doubts, his questions; they run in all kinds of directions, but they're all so real, so valid, so believable. Max's narration felt to me like reading emails or letters from a real boy, someone I cared about, and someone I wanted to help so badly. Because I cared about the boy, the person, the individual, who he is at his core, so much, there was no slogging my way through this book. I was absolutely gripped, and absolutely desperate for things to turn out ok for Max, for him to be ok.
One of the things that is amazing about this book is how brilliantly, seamlessly Tarttelin can switch from voice to voice. Golden Boy is narrated by six people; Max, his mother Karen, his father Steve, his younger brother Daniel, his GP Archie and his girlfriend Sylvie. Each person has a very distinct, individual voice - each having an age. The difference between Max's voice and Daniel's, or Max's and Karen's is amazing. Karen is very much an adult, Max a teenager, and Daniel a nine-year-old, and they all sound it. Tarttelin manages to get inside the head of each character so completely that if each chapter didn't start with who was narrating, you would be able to tell from the narration. The differences in voice are that obvious, and it's just completely amazing!
I liked most characters, and besides Max, especially Archie and Daniel. Archie is a very pro-active GP. She's not had Max before she first sees him after his rape, and doesn't know too much about intersex people, and so for her own knowledge to do her job better, and for the sake of Max if he ever has questions about himself specifically, she really does her research (meaning Tarttelin really did her research). I learnt more about intersex people from this book than I have from the other two I've read (Panomime by Laura Lam and Annabel by Kathleen Winter), and it's so interesting. It goes right into the medical science of it, but it also talk about gender and the importance society places on putting people into one box or another. It was absolutely fascinating. I loved Daniel because he, in his way, brings the lighter side to the story. He is so incredibly smart for his age, but has anger issues and doesn't quite get things right socially. But the way he thinks and talks, and put things across, you can't help but smile, even when he is creating a huge scene. Sometimes, he seems to understand things so much better than adults do, not just because he's smart, but because he still has that innocence and acceptance that comes with being a child. Daniel is such a brilliant character.
However, I couldn't stand Karen. I wanted to slap her so hard on so many occasions! I wanted to scream and shout at her, because it was just unbelievable to me how she could treat her child the way she did. I think Karen is going to be one of those women some people are going to completely understand, some people are going to feel sorry for, and some people, like me, are going to loathe with a passion. I could understand where she was coming from, but understanding does not equal agreeing with her actions and reactions. But, as she says, there's no rule book for raising a child, and there's no saying how anyone would react in her situation. It makes you question what you would do if you were in her shoes. There are so many options covered in this book, choices and decisions that were or could have been made at each point in Max's life, and it made me realise there are only good intentions. You won't ever know what decision made for an intersex child while he or she is young is going to be right for that specific child until they're older... and yet you can't not choose one way or the other. Each choice has an affect, but you must choose when a child is unable to choose for themselves. So Karen's part in Max's story works for provoking thought, but a decision she makes later in the book... I cannot tell you how angry I was. Raging barely begins to cover it. Absolutely unforgivable. That woman... oh my god, I can't even begin to explain.
Golden Boy is an undeniably one of the most incredible books I have ever read. This review doesn't really scratch the surface. Such an important novel, one I wish everyone would read, one I feel should be read in schools. It's perfect, and I am so, so glad I've had the opportunity to read it.
After writing a blog post for my employer's website about YA LGBTQ fiction, a colleague gave me one of the proofs for Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin that we had in store. I was intrigued by the novel as there are so few books about intersex characters, but I had no idea what a phenomenal read I was in for.
I reveal something in my summary below, but it's not a spoiler. It happens very early on in the novel, and starts off the story.
To everyone outside his family and close family friends, Max is an ordinary boy. Popular, loving, smart and affable, he's everyone's friend. What most people don't know is that Max is intersex. After he is raped by a family friend, his whole world is turned upside down. Not only is the ordeal horrific enough, but it has repercussions that ripple out into the rest of his life. He is left, lost in a whirlwind of emotion, question everything he knows about himself. Who is he, really? Is he the golden boy, or is that just who everyone else wants him to be?
Golden Boy is absolutely incredible! It is such a powerful, thought-provoking, and completely heartbreaking novel, one that is going to stay with me for a very long time after. Max knows so very little about his intersexuality. For reasons of their own, his parents decided not to tell him too much about it. Regarding his genitalia and reproductive organs, he knows what he has and what he doesn't. But he doesn't know about the discussions with doctors his parents had when he was a child. So once he's raped by his mother's best friend's son - someone he thinks of as a cousin - a vile, horrendous, absolutely sickening act, his whole perception of himself changes. Max starts to question who he is, what he is, what he should be.
Golden Boy was a big surprise to me. I am not the kind of person who copes well with heavy, depressing books. I don't mind a sad novel, but hard-hitting, melancholic, shoving-serious-issues-down-your-throat type novels I just don't get on with. I get very emotionally involved in books, so they completely affect my mood. Even once putting the book down, I can be on a real downer I struggle to get out with. And yet I will slog through a book like that, because I feel I'm doing a disservice to the characters by not reading their story, to the real people who are in similar situations. But it's hard. It's emotionally draining.
However, despite the seriousness of Golden Boy, I had no trouble reading it at all. This might be because I had no idea going in how rough things were going to get for Max - and rough they do get, unbelievably so - as you're taken by surprise at the turn of events as the story goes on. But I think it has more to do with Tarttelin's writing, and how she wrote Max. His character felt so real to me, his voice so genuine. I don't think I've ever been so emotionally attached to a character before. His fears, his doubts, his questions; they run in all kinds of directions, but they're all so real, so valid, so believable. Max's narration felt to me like reading emails or letters from a real boy, someone I cared about, and someone I wanted to help so badly. Because I cared about the boy, the person, the individual, who he is at his core, so much, there was no slogging my way through this book. I was absolutely gripped, and absolutely desperate for things to turn out ok for Max, for him to be ok.
One of the things that is amazing about this book is how brilliantly, seamlessly Tarttelin can switch from voice to voice. Golden Boy is narrated by six people; Max, his mother Karen, his father Steve, his younger brother Daniel, his GP Archie and his girlfriend Sylvie. Each person has a very distinct, individual voice - each having an age. The difference between Max's voice and Daniel's, or Max's and Karen's is amazing. Karen is very much an adult, Max a teenager, and Daniel a nine-year-old, and they all sound it. Tarttelin manages to get inside the head of each character so completely that if each chapter didn't start with who was narrating, you would be able to tell from the narration. The differences in voice are that obvious, and it's just completely amazing!
I liked most characters, and besides Max, especially Archie and Daniel. Archie is a very pro-active GP. She's not had Max before she first sees him after his rape, and doesn't know too much about intersex people, and so for her own knowledge to do her job better, and for the sake of Max if he ever has questions about himself specifically, she really does her research (meaning Tarttelin really did her research). I learnt more about intersex people from this book than I have from the other two I've read (Panomime by Laura Lam and Annabel by Kathleen Winter), and it's so interesting. It goes right into the medical science of it, but it also talk about gender and the importance society places on putting people into one box or another. It was absolutely fascinating. I loved Daniel because he, in his way, brings the lighter side to the story. He is so incredibly smart for his age, but has anger issues and doesn't quite get things right socially. But the way he thinks and talks, and put things across, you can't help but smile, even when he is creating a huge scene. Sometimes, he seems to understand things so much better than adults do, not just because he's smart, but because he still has that innocence and acceptance that comes with being a child. Daniel is such a brilliant character.
However, I couldn't stand Karen. I wanted to slap her so hard on so many occasions! I wanted to scream and shout at her, because it was just unbelievable to me how she could treat her child the way she did. I think Karen is going to be one of those women some people are going to completely understand, some people are going to feel sorry for, and some people, like me, are going to loathe with a passion. I could understand where she was coming from, but understanding does not equal agreeing with her actions and reactions. But, as she says, there's no rule book for raising a child, and there's no saying how anyone would react in her situation. It makes you question what you would do if you were in her shoes. There are so many options covered in this book, choices and decisions that were or could have been made at each point in Max's life, and it made me realise there are only good intentions. You won't ever know what decision made for an intersex child while he or she is young is going to be right for that specific child until they're older... and yet you can't not choose one way or the other. Each choice has an affect, but you must choose when a child is unable to choose for themselves. So Karen's part in Max's story works for provoking thought, but a decision she makes later in the book... I cannot tell you how angry I was. Raging barely begins to cover it. Absolutely unforgivable. That woman... oh my god, I can't even begin to explain.
Golden Boy is an undeniably one of the most incredible books I have ever read. This review doesn't really scratch the surface. Such an important novel, one I wish everyone would read, one I feel should be read in schools. It's perfect, and I am so, so glad I've had the opportunity to read it.
Max is the golden boy of his friends, family, and his school. But he and his parents are hiding a secret for their community. Max was born intersex and do to a series of circumstances that might become public knowledge.
I am on a quest to read more diverse books. This book definitely fit the bill.
I greatly enjoyed this book. I absolutely loved the characters and the family. Max was just so vulnerable. I wanted to shelter him from the world.
The family felt very realistic and grounded. They cared about one another, they fought amongst each other. The alternating POV between the mom and dad was very heartbreaking at times. It is so clear they are trying to do what is best for their sons, they just don’t know what to do.
I really enjoyed how we learned about being intersex along with Max. It did shed light on the wide spectrum being intersex, it was extremely informative.
I give this book an A.
I read it all in one sitting. I laughed and I cried with this book.
I am on a quest to read more diverse books. This book definitely fit the bill.
I greatly enjoyed this book. I absolutely loved the characters and the family. Max was just so vulnerable. I wanted to shelter him from the world.
The family felt very realistic and grounded. They cared about one another, they fought amongst each other. The alternating POV between the mom and dad was very heartbreaking at times. It is so clear they are trying to do what is best for their sons, they just don’t know what to do.
I really enjoyed how we learned about being intersex along with Max. It did shed light on the wide spectrum being intersex, it was extremely informative.
I give this book an A.
I read it all in one sitting. I laughed and I cried with this book.
Cross-posted at Outlaw Reviews and at Shelf Inflicted
I feel like a big old meany for not liking this book as much as my friends did.
It is wordy and repetitive, the multiple viewpoints drove me nuts, and the characters lacked substance and authenticity. Though I really admire Max’s parents’ decision not to make their child undergo surgery to correct his intersex condition, I could strangle them for being so secretive about it and allowing Max to grow up and navigate the difficult world of adolescence without any discussion or guidance about sex, relationships, pregnancy, or gender identity. The thing is, when parents don’t talk about this stuff with their kids, they will learn from their friends, or the media, and likely pick up all kinds of incorrect information. What I didn’t understand about Max, particularly in this age of information, was why he showed very little curiosity, didn’t access the internet, or read books. And how does he manage to be the perfect son, the perfect brother, the perfect student, and the perfect boyfriend without any “issues”?
Yet, he is not. Very early on, a childhood friend sexually assaults 16-year-old Max. It is the consequences of that disturbing incident and the fact that his father is running for political office and doesn’t need any negative publicity that make things very complicated for Max.
What I did like about this book, in comparison to Annabel, is that it tackles the issues of gender identity with more sensitivity and compassion. I just wish that the author’s research about intersexuality was presented throughout the novel organically and not solely through the voice of Max’s doctor, which made it feel like forced teaching moments.
As I mentioned earlier, there were problems with characterization. The story was narrated by Max, as well as his parents, his younger brother, Daniel, his girlfriend, Sylvie, and his doctor. Max’s parents were caricatures rather than real people. His brother was way too clever for his 10 years and had more sophisticated vocabulary than anyone else. And Sylvie, who was quite an interesting character and very supportive of Max, didn’t get nearly enough page time.
This book made me think and made me feel, but the prose lacked the grace and elegance of Annabel. I’m still waiting for the perfect book about intersexuality.
I feel like a big old meany for not liking this book as much as my friends did.
It is wordy and repetitive, the multiple viewpoints drove me nuts, and the characters lacked substance and authenticity. Though I really admire Max’s parents’ decision not to make their child undergo surgery to correct his intersex condition, I could strangle them for being so secretive about it and allowing Max to grow up and navigate the difficult world of adolescence without any discussion or guidance about sex, relationships, pregnancy, or gender identity. The thing is, when parents don’t talk about this stuff with their kids, they will learn from their friends, or the media, and likely pick up all kinds of incorrect information. What I didn’t understand about Max, particularly in this age of information, was why he showed very little curiosity, didn’t access the internet, or read books. And how does he manage to be the perfect son, the perfect brother, the perfect student, and the perfect boyfriend without any “issues”?
Yet, he is not. Very early on, a childhood friend sexually assaults 16-year-old Max. It is the consequences of that disturbing incident and the fact that his father is running for political office and doesn’t need any negative publicity that make things very complicated for Max.
“I am a normal guy. I am a normal guy who would never have a problem like this. Like what? Like nothing. It doesn’t exist. I am a normal sixteen-year-old. I listen to music. I wear my iPod. I laugh with my friends. I dream about kissing Sylvie Clark. I kiss Sylvie Clark. I am a brother. I am not a sister. I am not an everything. I am not a nothing. I have no big choices to make. I am a teenager, and my biggest job is to be normal. I can’t look at myself in the mirror anymore, or at any reflection of mine in glass. And I don’t know why.”
What I did like about this book, in comparison to Annabel, is that it tackles the issues of gender identity with more sensitivity and compassion. I just wish that the author’s research about intersexuality was presented throughout the novel organically and not solely through the voice of Max’s doctor, which made it feel like forced teaching moments.
As I mentioned earlier, there were problems with characterization. The story was narrated by Max, as well as his parents, his younger brother, Daniel, his girlfriend, Sylvie, and his doctor. Max’s parents were caricatures rather than real people. His brother was way too clever for his 10 years and had more sophisticated vocabulary than anyone else. And Sylvie, who was quite an interesting character and very supportive of Max, didn’t get nearly enough page time.
This book made me think and made me feel, but the prose lacked the grace and elegance of Annabel. I’m still waiting for the perfect book about intersexuality.
4.5 stars
I so, so appreciated how this book brings light to an underexplored topic (intersexuality) not just from a medical perspective, but from the perspective of an individual. It was so readable yet emotionally-challenging (really from the start). I loved how Tarttelin explored Max's relationships with each person in his life (especially Daniel, Karen, and Steve) , and the multiple perspectives really worked for me in that they never felt repetitive (as in added substantive value) and flowed naturally into one another. My only complaint was that Sylvie was a little underdeveloped as a character and there were a couple unrealistic actions, but no matter. We could all learn so much from this story.
I so, so appreciated how this book brings light to an underexplored topic (intersexuality) not just from a medical perspective, but from the perspective of an individual. It was so readable yet emotionally-challenging (really from the start). I loved how Tarttelin explored Max's relationships with each person in his life (especially Daniel, Karen, and Steve) , and the multiple perspectives really worked for me in that they never felt repetitive (as in added substantive value) and flowed naturally into one another. My only complaint was that Sylvie was a little underdeveloped as a character and there were a couple unrealistic actions, but no matter. We could all learn so much from this story.
This book is just a succession of horrible things happening, and it basically opens with a rape scene, but I couldn’t put it down. And not just in a morbid how-badly-will-they-fuck-up-all-the-intersex-stuff (some’s not great, other bits are quite positive, the whole book is horrible things happening to an intersex person, but it is a ‘Crime’ novel) way - the author made me really care about all the characters and I teared up a couple times at the end.
wow. no words can describe how this book makes you feel and how deeply it makes you think about things you may have never considered. this is such an important piece of work and one of my new favorite books of all time.
I cried three times while reading this book. So yeah, there's that.
Originally posted at OMFG!Books
What a book. No, really. What. A. Book. This book does it's job well. Powerful is a word I would use to describe it. While contemporary isn't generally my cup of tea I'm glad I accepted the offer to review from the publisher.
What I really enjoyed was the different POVs. If it was only told through one I don't think that the book would be quite the same. It's a really good way of getting into all of their heads; seeing why they do the things they do, understanding why they say the things they say, feel how they feel, etc. and that really helps with such sensitive subject matter. That's another thing I really liked about the novel: how well the author went about the subject. She did it in such a realistic, positive way and I thought that was fantastic. I liked the pace of the book as well. Fast but not too fast. It played like a really good movie in my head.
This is a book that will get people talking. I got so invested in the story I found myself crying and wanting to throw it against a wall when certain things happened. I got very attached to these characters, especially Max, who is such an endearing young man. The topic of this book is something that needs to be talked about more and I think that the more people that read this, and pass it on to friends because they're going to want to talk about it too, the more the issues will be heard. I'm repeating myself but the author did such a fantastic job in doing this. This book is something both adults and teens need to read and to discuss. The book makes you think, and that is the best kind of book.
What a book. No, really. What. A. Book. This book does it's job well. Powerful is a word I would use to describe it. While contemporary isn't generally my cup of tea I'm glad I accepted the offer to review from the publisher.
What I really enjoyed was the different POVs. If it was only told through one I don't think that the book would be quite the same. It's a really good way of getting into all of their heads; seeing why they do the things they do, understanding why they say the things they say, feel how they feel, etc. and that really helps with such sensitive subject matter. That's another thing I really liked about the novel: how well the author went about the subject. She did it in such a realistic, positive way and I thought that was fantastic. I liked the pace of the book as well. Fast but not too fast. It played like a really good movie in my head.
This is a book that will get people talking. I got so invested in the story I found myself crying and wanting to throw it against a wall when certain things happened. I got very attached to these characters, especially Max, who is such an endearing young man. The topic of this book is something that needs to be talked about more and I think that the more people that read this, and pass it on to friends because they're going to want to talk about it too, the more the issues will be heard. I'm repeating myself but the author did such a fantastic job in doing this. This book is something both adults and teens need to read and to discuss. The book makes you think, and that is the best kind of book.
Sometimes you go into a book knowing that it's going to be stressful and anxiety provoking, and that's how I felt about Golden Boy before I started it. And indeed, it was stressful and anxiety provoking, but not in the ways or to the extent that I was expecting. With the exception of Max' parents (who were portrayed so awkwardly and unevenly that I just couldn't connect with them), I enjoyed everything about this book.