You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
This is one of the most beautiful books published this year and I think everybody needs to read it. I love the format - a deposition - and how that creates tension in itself. I love the writing - it's not littered with beautiful or evocative language - it's simple. This book is just amazing.
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Grief, Outing
Minor: Sexual content, Blood
The grief is partially about the pre-cannon death of a sibling/child. There's also grief for a parent who also died pre-cannon.
"And for a second, just a second, I swear I see us become the whole universe."
I wasn't expecting that, absolutely not. Oh boy, this book, I was so angry during what? 3/4 of the book, but jeez the last quarter... I am crying now.
Honestly, when I picked this book I wasn't expecting much.
Honestly, I didn't even know what the whole think was about.
Honestly, it wrecked me.
An heartbreaking and meaningful story.
I wasn't expecting that, absolutely not. Oh boy, this book, I was so angry during what? 3/4 of the book, but jeez the last quarter... I am crying now.
Honestly, when I picked this book I wasn't expecting much.
Honestly, I didn't even know what the whole think was about.
Honestly, it wrecked me.
An heartbreaking and meaningful story.
Listen, I know some people believe the Young Adult genre is vapid and insubstantial. But I think they're wrong. This book is about friendship, love, family, abuse, Christianity, bisexuality from the point of view of a teenager and it's compelling and complex and important. Gritty. Painful, at times. Real. In short, this novel is a triumph. A fucking tour de force.
*The following review may contain non-specific spoilers. And swears.*
Content warnings: brief mentions of suicide, biphobia, homophobia, abuse
This review was originally posted to Anxious Nachos
Sometimes you read a book which slowly tears you apart, that feels like it was written for you, that feels like as if someone opened you up, took all your thoughts and feelings and put it on a page. That's Deposing Nathan. It's an emotionally raw and unforgiving experience, as the characters question religion, sexuality and themselves. In other words: it's absolutely fucking amazing.
Deposing Nathan opens in a deposition, with Nathan giving a statement about the events which lead to his best friend, Cam, stabbing him. The story jumps between short flashes of the deposition, where we get glimpses of the wrecked relationship between Cam and Nathan, and the events of the past year or so. The past events are narrated by Nate, as if being stated to the lawyer at the deposition. We see how he met Cam, how the two grew close, and ultimately fell in love.
However, there's a catch. Well several catches. The first, Aunt Lori. I think Lori was fantastically written - Zack manages to capture the perfect balance of someone who at times seems like loving caregiver, and at other times is a darker, more terrifying character, so you're never really sure where you stand. She is at once both absolutely hateful and yet because the story is told from Nate's POV, his thoughts and opinions often cloud the view of her, making her actions seem almost normalised. Her behaviour is just so destructive, yet she hides under the cover of 'protective parent'. That insidious type of character building is absolutely incredible, and the slow descent to realisation is so soul-twisting, for both Nate and the reader.
Cam and Nate are now some of my favourite characters in YA. I really think Zack perfectly captured the despair and angst of teenage years, of the impulsive decisions and heartbreaking questioning of one's identity. Cam pushes Nate to break rules and try new things, and Nate struggles with trying to please Cam as his Aunt's claws begins to tighten around his neck.
What made this book so perfect and yet extremely difficult for me were the discussions around bisexuality. As Cam and Nate both grapple with this, there are some extremely traumatic scenes regarding the validity of bisexuality and its existence as a queer identity. This is something I have struggled with, and still to do this day struggle with. Bisexuality is too often seen as nonexistent by both the queer and non-queer communities; you're too queer for some and not queer enough for others. I am so appreciative of Cam's strong belief and surity in his sexuality and in its existence. At the risk of sounding a little cliche, it's such an important statement to read, and yes, I wish I had had this book as a teen.
In addition to the discussions around bisexuality, I really need to commend Zack for the very real portrayal of religion, and how that impacts someone questioning their identity. As someone who grew up in a Christian household, and went through their teenage years struggling with their sexuality, I found the portrayal extremely realistic and extremely raw. Zack has a tremendous ability to be able to tear your heart apart with the strength of his writing - Nate's self hate, contemplation of suicide, his feeling of complete worthlessness in the eyes of God, is just so honest and so heartwrenching. And whilst I no longer consider myself religious, I don't think I've ever seen myself so represented in a book before.
I've always seen people praise books for portraying themselves but never really understood how important it actually is. Until you see yourself in a book so thoroughly, it's hard to understand how important it can be. To see that you aren't alone, that other people have suffered and feel as you do, and that things get better. Because despite the toxic relationship, despite the despair and anxiety and hate and biphobia in the book, it ends on an uplifting note. It is a perfect ending, not because everything ends happily ever after, but because it doesn't. Because despite life not being perfect, there is still reason to hope. And I think that's a message everyone needs to hear sometimes.
Deposing Nathan will twist and tear you, it will gut you and hurt like hell. And it is absolutely fucking phenomenal. It's features the most realistic portrayal of bisexuality and religion I've ever read. It is an unforgivingly brutal tale of two boys who learn what it means to love themselves, even if they suffer to do so.
Content warnings: brief mentions of suicide, biphobia, homophobia, abuse
This review was originally posted to Anxious Nachos
Sometimes you read a book which slowly tears you apart, that feels like it was written for you, that feels like as if someone opened you up, took all your thoughts and feelings and put it on a page. That's Deposing Nathan. It's an emotionally raw and unforgiving experience, as the characters question religion, sexuality and themselves. In other words: it's absolutely fucking amazing.
Deposing Nathan opens in a deposition, with Nathan giving a statement about the events which lead to his best friend, Cam, stabbing him. The story jumps between short flashes of the deposition, where we get glimpses of the wrecked relationship between Cam and Nathan, and the events of the past year or so. The past events are narrated by Nate, as if being stated to the lawyer at the deposition. We see how he met Cam, how the two grew close, and ultimately fell in love.
However, there's a catch. Well several catches. The first, Aunt Lori. I think Lori was fantastically written - Zack manages to capture the perfect balance of someone who at times seems like loving caregiver, and at other times is a darker, more terrifying character, so you're never really sure where you stand. She is at once both absolutely hateful and yet because the story is told from Nate's POV, his thoughts and opinions often cloud the view of her, making her actions seem almost normalised. Her behaviour is just so destructive, yet she hides under the cover of 'protective parent'. That insidious type of character building is absolutely incredible, and the slow descent to realisation is so soul-twisting, for both Nate and the reader.
Cam and Nate are now some of my favourite characters in YA. I really think Zack perfectly captured the despair and angst of teenage years, of the impulsive decisions and heartbreaking questioning of one's identity. Cam pushes Nate to break rules and try new things, and Nate struggles with trying to please Cam as his Aunt's claws begins to tighten around his neck.
What made this book so perfect and yet extremely difficult for me were the discussions around bisexuality. As Cam and Nate both grapple with this, there are some extremely traumatic scenes regarding the validity of bisexuality and its existence as a queer identity. This is something I have struggled with, and still to do this day struggle with. Bisexuality is too often seen as nonexistent by both the queer and non-queer communities; you're too queer for some and not queer enough for others. I am so appreciative of Cam's strong belief and surity in his sexuality and in its existence. At the risk of sounding a little cliche, it's such an important statement to read, and yes, I wish I had had this book as a teen.
In addition to the discussions around bisexuality, I really need to commend Zack for the very real portrayal of religion, and how that impacts someone questioning their identity. As someone who grew up in a Christian household, and went through their teenage years struggling with their sexuality, I found the portrayal extremely realistic and extremely raw. Zack has a tremendous ability to be able to tear your heart apart with the strength of his writing - Nate's self hate, contemplation of suicide, his feeling of complete worthlessness in the eyes of God, is just so honest and so heartwrenching. And whilst I no longer consider myself religious, I don't think I've ever seen myself so represented in a book before.
I've always seen people praise books for portraying themselves but never really understood how important it actually is. Until you see yourself in a book so thoroughly, it's hard to understand how important it can be. To see that you aren't alone, that other people have suffered and feel as you do, and that things get better. Because despite the toxic relationship, despite the despair and anxiety and hate and biphobia in the book, it ends on an uplifting note. It is a perfect ending, not because everything ends happily ever after, but because it doesn't. Because despite life not being perfect, there is still reason to hope. And I think that's a message everyone needs to hear sometimes.
Deposing Nathan will twist and tear you, it will gut you and hurt like hell. And it is absolutely fucking phenomenal. It's features the most realistic portrayal of bisexuality and religion I've ever read. It is an unforgivingly brutal tale of two boys who learn what it means to love themselves, even if they suffer to do so.
this was an extremely powerful book. i'm going to read it again and again. you feel everything the characters do, and i loved the characters. it deals with incredibly heavy topics, so be prepared for that, but i literally could not put it down as i approached the end. it's an emotional nail-biter.
I was excited when I first saw the announcement for this tour for DEPOSING NATHAN, as I really enjoy reading contemporary issue books that give me all kinds of feels. And boy did this book give me all the feels! It’s a compulsive read that took my emotions all over the place. I had about 10 notes on my Kindle that I wrote, about half of them at times where I got frustrated with one of the characters or furious at another and the other half where my heart either soared or broke. It’s a bit astonishing to me that this is a debut novel, and from such a young author; it feels like it was written by a seasoned, oft-published pro.
I really like the framing of the novel as a story being relayed via a deposition (which, if you don’t know, is essentially an interview/testimony in a legal proceeding that is done outside of court, either in lieu of actual court testimony or as a preliminary matter prior to court proceedings). It is a clever way of telling the story, and I promise it’s not boring or dry, as a deposition might sound :) The characters are all so strongly drawn, and I guarantee your feelings about them will be equally strong, whether good, bad, somewhere in between. My absolute favorite character is Cam, who we learn at the start is accused of stabbing Nathan (hence the deposition). But Nathan, our MC, is such a complicated and flawed character that I have nothing but praise for Mr. Smedley for making me care so darn much about him. There is so much that he does and says that frustrated me or pissed me off, but I also have so much sympathy for him, and as a parent I often wished I could reach through the pages and hug him and tell him he has worth, he matters, and he can be his own person. I think it’s relatively easy for an author to give us a character that we instantly fall in love with, one who is purely good or sympathetic, but I truly admire the skill and bravery it takes to write a character who is truly complex and has some serious flaws, all without alienating the reader and making us care deeply for them. This is precisely what Mr. Smedley has done with Nathan, and it is truly masterful.
In DEPOSING NATHAN, Mr. Smedley provides us with an unflinching portrait of a character who is struggling with questions about his sexuality, struggling to understand how his desires and actions impact his relationship to God and whether he is a “true” or “good” Christian, and struggling to figure out the line between being his own person and doing what his father and aunt expect of him. The ending of the book just about destroyed me, and yet it was the perfect resolution. DEPOSING NATHAN is an incredible debut, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys contemporary issue books and those who are hungry for diverse YA options.
RATING: 5 shining stars!
**Disclosure: I received an early e-copy of this book for purposes of this blog tour. This review is voluntary on my part and reflects my honest rating and review of the book.
I really like the framing of the novel as a story being relayed via a deposition (which, if you don’t know, is essentially an interview/testimony in a legal proceeding that is done outside of court, either in lieu of actual court testimony or as a preliminary matter prior to court proceedings). It is a clever way of telling the story, and I promise it’s not boring or dry, as a deposition might sound :) The characters are all so strongly drawn, and I guarantee your feelings about them will be equally strong, whether good, bad, somewhere in between. My absolute favorite character is Cam, who we learn at the start is accused of stabbing Nathan (hence the deposition). But Nathan, our MC, is such a complicated and flawed character that I have nothing but praise for Mr. Smedley for making me care so darn much about him. There is so much that he does and says that frustrated me or pissed me off, but I also have so much sympathy for him, and as a parent I often wished I could reach through the pages and hug him and tell him he has worth, he matters, and he can be his own person. I think it’s relatively easy for an author to give us a character that we instantly fall in love with, one who is purely good or sympathetic, but I truly admire the skill and bravery it takes to write a character who is truly complex and has some serious flaws, all without alienating the reader and making us care deeply for them. This is precisely what Mr. Smedley has done with Nathan, and it is truly masterful.
In DEPOSING NATHAN, Mr. Smedley provides us with an unflinching portrait of a character who is struggling with questions about his sexuality, struggling to understand how his desires and actions impact his relationship to God and whether he is a “true” or “good” Christian, and struggling to figure out the line between being his own person and doing what his father and aunt expect of him. The ending of the book just about destroyed me, and yet it was the perfect resolution. DEPOSING NATHAN is an incredible debut, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys contemporary issue books and those who are hungry for diverse YA options.
RATING: 5 shining stars!
**Disclosure: I received an early e-copy of this book for purposes of this blog tour. This review is voluntary on my part and reflects my honest rating and review of the book.
Read. This. Book. It will keep you hooked throughout. Do not think you can "one more chapter" this book because you cannot. It will break your heart, surprise you, and really make you wonder who you're rooting for in this one.
It's important LGBTQIA fiction that really steps boldly into tough spaces and maintains eye contact with the reader...you can't look away...these things need to be seen.
There is a lot of language of that kind of thing bothers you, but this is such a worthy read. I can't wait to see what's next for the author because I'm here for it.
It's important LGBTQIA fiction that really steps boldly into tough spaces and maintains eye contact with the reader...you can't look away...these things need to be seen.
There is a lot of language of that kind of thing bothers you, but this is such a worthy read. I can't wait to see what's next for the author because I'm here for it.
This book absolutely destroyed me, I think I spent the second half of this book just absolutely sobbing.
This is the kind of book that you just can’t put down, the plot is just soooo intriguing. I started this book in the afternoon and I just HAD stay awake the whole night to finish it, considering I had to be up at 7 am to do a modelling job sleeping next to nothing and crying for 3 hours wasn’t my brightest moment but I don’t regret it one bit.
I love how in the story you start by thinking his aunt is just very strict but has Nathan’s best interest at heart, because that is how he sees it and how as the story progresses you realise that she is a monster. I like how we go through that discovery along side Nathan, how we feel all his shock and betrayal. I also love how after he finds out who she really is he still wants to protect her, because that just feels very realistic.
The ending is just so heartbreaking and raw but also so realistic that I hated and loved it at the same time. I hated because deep down I wanted them to end up together but I loved it because that just wasn’t the best choice for either of them, as Cam said their relationship was toxic and messy, they couldn’t be happy together.
This is the kind of book that you just can’t put down, the plot is just soooo intriguing. I started this book in the afternoon and I just HAD stay awake the whole night to finish it, considering I had to be up at 7 am to do a modelling job sleeping next to nothing and crying for 3 hours wasn’t my brightest moment but I don’t regret it one bit.
I love how in the story you start by thinking his aunt is just very strict but has Nathan’s best interest at heart, because that is how he sees it and how as the story progresses you realise that she is a monster. I like how we go through that discovery along side Nathan, how we feel all his shock and betrayal. I also love how after he finds out who she really is he still wants to protect her, because that just feels very realistic.
The ending is just so heartbreaking and raw but also so realistic that I hated and loved it at the same time. I hated because deep down I wanted them to end up together but I loved it because that just wasn’t the best choice for either of them, as Cam said their relationship was toxic and messy, they couldn’t be happy together.