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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, because it has received so many accolades already (and of course I love to support local authors) so I had pretty high expectations- and Invisible Boys didn't disappoint. I could not put this book down, I picked it up this morning and just kept reading until I finished it. I absolutely loved so many things about this book. I love Charlie and Zeke and Hammer and how they're so different but at the same time not really that different at all. I love the way Sheppard has really nailed that almost claustrophobic small-town atmosphere, and the stifling weight these boys feel just trying to live with themselves in a place that doesn't make it easy. I love the writing style, it's very Aussie and just so relatable, I could visualise everything so clearly. I love the humour, and the pain, and most of all the hope that this book made me feel. I'm not gay, so I can't personally relate to that aspect of Invisible Boys, but many of my friends are, so I've seen a lot of different coming-out experiences through knowing them and standing alongside them during those times. And having a lot of family living rural I have also witnessed some of the prejudices and the responses and behaviours that are explored in the novel. I am just happy to have been able to understand even a small part of what some people experience in their own journeys towards self acceptance through reading this book, and it's made me realise the importance of supporting people, whether they be family, friends, or complete stangers, because you just don't know who might need it. All in all, I think this is a fantastic book, I laughed, I cried (quite a lot) and I recomend it 100%.
Now that I've finished crying enough to write this review, this was one of the best books I've read this year. This was one of my most anticipated reads, and it is worth all the praise and accolades awarded to it. This novel is raw, intensely personal and packed with emotion.
Sheppard has perfectly captured a stifling, prejudiced small-town atmosphere and the weight of loneliness and fear put upon people who are raised and taught to be ashamed of who they are and what they feel. This book is a modern, honest and heartbreaking story of four boys who wanted to be invisible, and how they saw each other.
My heart hurts, and I cried a lot towards the end of this story, but it also had hope.
This is a beautiful book about bravery, bogan Australians (in a good way), and boyhood beyond masculine stereotypes. Each of the protagonists in this book were strong characters, and presented entirely different struggles and mindsets in the face of their sexual identities, and their tentative friendship and relationships were perfectly awkward and relatable.
I would 100% recomend this book to anyone and everyone.
Sheppard has perfectly captured a stifling, prejudiced small-town atmosphere and the weight of loneliness and fear put upon people who are raised and taught to be ashamed of who they are and what they feel. This book is a modern, honest and heartbreaking story of four boys who wanted to be invisible, and how they saw each other.
My heart hurts, and I cried a lot towards the end of this story, but it also had hope.
This is a beautiful book about bravery, bogan Australians (in a good way), and boyhood beyond masculine stereotypes. Each of the protagonists in this book were strong characters, and presented entirely different struggles and mindsets in the face of their sexual identities, and their tentative friendship and relationships were perfectly awkward and relatable.
I would 100% recomend this book to anyone and everyone.
emotional
reflective
sad
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Outing, Sexual harassment
Minor: Racism, Transphobia
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Well didn't that just rip out my heart and stomp all over it.
It's weird to love something that hurts you so much, but there you have it. This book is not easy to read. It's raw and unapologetic and brutally honest in it's portrayal of four different young gay men growing up in a small town in the north of Western Australia. Having lived in Perth, I really enjoyed the setting of this book and understood almost all the Aussie slang. I also went to Catholic school and could absolutely relate on that front too! Not that was ever dared to speak to our teachers the way Charlie does O.o That said, the teachers made me furious. As a teacher myself, I cannot fathom how any educator can stand by and let what happened in this story unfold without intervening and offering the help so many of these kids clearly needed!
It was refreshing to read a story set in this part of Australia. It shows a very different side to a country often considered to be progressive, but is actually far from it as soon as you move away from the big cities.
This book was extremely well written and I was absolutely immersed in the multiple first person POVs. Hats off to the author for making each boy's voice distinct and unmistakable. I also appreciate how the author managed to show the various ways the individuals coped or didn't cope within their unique circumstances and how not all the stories resolved in the same way.
Charlie Roth - I don't need another reason to love this book! He's a punk musician who loves grunge, paints his nails black, and wears Ramones t-shirts. I adored him from the very first page and there better be a sequel to this book where he gets all the good things he deserves!
(Trigger warning) For more sensitive readers, it might be good to be aware that this book contains
This is the ownvoices sort of story people need to read! While the language and sexual content makes this more suitable for older teens, I absolutely cannot recommend this book enough to anyone wanting a glimpse into the lives of queer teens in small town Australia. With Pride month coming up, any readers wanting to add LGBT+ books to their shelves should definitely add this one!
It's weird to love something that hurts you so much, but there you have it. This book is not easy to read. It's raw and unapologetic and brutally honest in it's portrayal of four different young gay men growing up in a small town in the north of Western Australia. Having lived in Perth, I really enjoyed the setting of this book and understood almost all the Aussie slang. I also went to Catholic school and could absolutely relate on that front too! Not that was ever dared to speak to our teachers the way Charlie does O.o That said, the teachers made me furious. As a teacher myself, I cannot fathom how any educator can stand by and let what happened in this story unfold without intervening and offering the help so many of these kids clearly needed!
It was refreshing to read a story set in this part of Australia. It shows a very different side to a country often considered to be progressive, but is actually far from it as soon as you move away from the big cities.
This book was extremely well written and I was absolutely immersed in the multiple first person POVs. Hats off to the author for making each boy's voice distinct and unmistakable. I also appreciate how the author managed to show the various ways the individuals coped or didn't cope within their unique circumstances and how not all the stories resolved in the same way.
Charlie Roth - I don't need another reason to love this book! He's a punk musician who loves grunge, paints his nails black, and wears Ramones t-shirts. I adored him from the very first page and there better be a sequel to this book where he gets all the good things he deserves!
(Trigger warning) For more sensitive readers, it might be good to be aware that this book contains
Spoiler
more than one suicides, emotional/verbal/mental abuse by adults and school peers, physical abuse where a father punches his son, questionable consent in a sex scene, and pretty awful bullying.This is the ownvoices sort of story people need to read! While the language and sexual content makes this more suitable for older teens, I absolutely cannot recommend this book enough to anyone wanting a glimpse into the lives of queer teens in small town Australia. With Pride month coming up, any readers wanting to add LGBT+ books to their shelves should definitely add this one!
There’s just something about Australian YA lit that is just so good. Real, raw, relatable. It’s books exactly like these that help kids not only navigate the roller coaster of puberty, they also portray various instances of strained relationships, personal insecurities and the quiet solitude of being misunderstood. Stories such as Invisible Boys, that are set in local and rural communities provide relatability and reliability which is so important. Not only do they help teenagers on their own journeys, they also help adults, parents, guardians, teachers to communicate and understand the challenges our youths face everyday.
We need more stories like these. They’re important for all of us to read. For the youth to know they’re not alone and for the adults to look back and recall that it wasn’t as easy as our memories make us believe.
We need more stories like these. They’re important for all of us to read. For the youth to know they’re not alone and for the adults to look back and recall that it wasn’t as easy as our memories make us believe.