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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
Riding the roller coaster of growing up in country WA. Three boys becoming men in a tough and bigoted town and time. Those are the bare bones of this tale, but that's not anywhere near the whole story. Sheppard has delivered a scathing, snarky, sad, and sombre story that wrenches at the heart, makes you want to shout at the pages and then grab for the tissues and go hug your kids.
An absolute page turner from a brilliant Australian author. A great read.
An absolute page turner from a brilliant Australian author. A great read.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Best book of the year. Hands down.
There are some books that are so profoundly heartfelt they leave you breathless. I'm still trying to catch my breath.
There are some books that are so profoundly heartfelt they leave you breathless. I'm still trying to catch my breath.
challenging
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
Wow. The quintessential 'coming-of-age' novel. Sheppard weaves the stories and perspectives of several teen boys coming to terms with their identities and sexual orientation in the MidWest town of Geraldton. Each of them yearns to get away, but they are trapped by the restrictions of family expectation, small-town gossipy minds, strictures of religion, and lack of role models (and prospective partners, too, I guess). The townscape is evoked so viscerally, I was yearning to go home to Gero. This is fiercely parochial, with smells, language, and social rituals that I have only ever known in that town. And yet, also universal, in the need to conform, to walk the line between being yourself or living falsely for fear of retribution and, here quite literally, their lives. As much as Sheppard's writing brought me a wave of nostalgia, he also conjured the dark side of Geraldton I'd repressed: the vicious narrowmindedness, which does not stop at homophobia, but also racism, and a place where quite literally there are boundaries drawn between who 'belongs' and who 'does not belong'. Such as who gets to be an 'insider'. I have never lived anywhere before where there are such stringent hurdles and delineations, and contortionist acts of identity that must be performed before being admitted as 'one of them' (specifically a surname on a street sign, and three generations in the boneyard). But as this book shows, these are fine lines in the sand, and one can be cast out, even from family, so very easily if you don't adhere. These lines between people also extend to the socio-economic divisions between suburbs, which Sheppard illustrates beautifully, through where each of the characters live. The side-by-side of suburbs of extreme squalour, with new beachside developments and semi-acreage. A book to rip your heart out.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-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
This book broke my heart. It was so beautifully written and the stories of each boy were crafted so intentionally. It hits a little different living in the exact town where this story takes place but it's eye-opening, raw and liberating. I'm happy (and heart-broken) about this first read for the year.
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide