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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
Adam's story was fine.
The ghost side story was entirely unnecessary and useless
The ghost side story was entirely unnecessary and useless
I love a book that talks. Constant conversation. And not for the purpose of speaking, but for understanding. Of oneself and of others. This book talks and talks so beautifully.
As for that queen and faun nonsense, get out of here.
4.5 stars probably. 5 if I can get black out drunk and forget the whole "magical realism" story.
As for that queen and faun nonsense, get out of here.
4.5 stars probably. 5 if I can get black out drunk and forget the whole "magical realism" story.
It took me under 24 hours to devour this novel. I'll admit that I did struggle at the start, but once it hooked me in I was gone. I recommend this to everybody.
An absolutely lovely book. Heartbreaking in places and very real in others.
I did misread faun as fawn for a large section of the book, but that just made the mental picture more entertaining imo
I did misread faun as fawn for a large section of the book, but that just made the mental picture more entertaining imo
Read it in almost one sitting (ask my poor back!). Ones very interesting day in the life of Adam Thorn, mixed with a side story of supernatural.
I have not read Mrs. Dalloway by Virgina Woolf. In fact I've never read Virginia Woolf. I have not read Forever by Judy Blume. In fact, I've never read Judy Blume. Everyone has holes in their book-reading life and these are a couple of mine. I make this confession because Patrick Ness' new novel Release takes its inspiration from the works quoted above. In the case of Mrs. Dalloway, Ness borrows (with slight modifications) the opening and closing sentences and the novel’s timeframe, Release like Mrs. Dalloway takes place over a single day. With regard to Forever, Ness is influenced by that books warts and all discussion of teenage sexuality and, to a lesser degree, its one word title. Where the Blume and Ness differ is the sexuality that's explored – heterosexual vs homosexual. Having said all that, for those like me who aren't privy to the antecedents it doesn't much matter. Release stands on its own.
Adam Thorn is a seventeen year old in a state of existential crisis. He's in love with two guys his age, though his feelings for his ex are stronger than those for his boyfriend. He's also keeping his sexuality secret from his preacher father and devout mother and brother. And, to top it all off (with a rotten cherry), he is being sexually harassed by his boss. Over the course of one day Adam is forced to confront his emotions, his guilt and his fear of becoming an outcast from his family. Over the same day, and not far from Adam, the Queen of the Fae (and her Faun) for reasons that aren't entirely made clear come into contact with the soul of a 17 year old girl recently murdered by her drug addicted boyfriend.
I like the idea of two narrative strands that are only tangentially connected, but where one is the mirror of the other. I just don't think Ness pulls it off. The supernatural action with the Queen is compelling – especially in how it explores violence and revenge and justice – but it often felt like a distraction from Adam's story. It's as if, in the hope of increasing his word-count (Release is a very short novel) Ness added the Queen's story. I'm sure that's not actually the case, but that's how it comes across.
This, though, is a minor quibble because Adam's story is so very good. The novel reminds us that as much as things have improved over the last thirty years in America for the LGTBQ community there are still teenagers out there struggling to come to terms with their sexual identity especially when they know that they are unlikely to be accepted by those closest to them. While Adam acknowledges his parent’s strict beliefs - to Ness’ credit they are not demonised – he also knows that they would be disgusted by who he loves. This leads him to question -
“What if they (his family) were right? What if there was something wrong with him? What if, on some level, way down deep inside, right down to the very simplest, purified form of who he was, what if he was corrupted? What if there was some tiny, tiny fault in the first building blocks of who he was, and everything since that first moment of life was just papering over an essential crack? And he was just a carapace built on a facade built on scaffolding and there was no real core to him, no real central worth? At all? Can I love? he thought. Can I? Can I be loved?"
Throughout the course of this one single day Adam learns that he is most definitely loved. How that devotion is expressed is complicated and nuanced and I hope that for those in Adam’s position today it may provide guidance and comfort. That's not to say that Ness offers up easy answers, but as raw and angry as this novel gets, and there are certainly uncomfortable, uneasy moments, this is a book that ultimately delivers compassion and hope.
Adam Thorn is a seventeen year old in a state of existential crisis. He's in love with two guys his age, though his feelings for his ex are stronger than those for his boyfriend. He's also keeping his sexuality secret from his preacher father and devout mother and brother. And, to top it all off (with a rotten cherry), he is being sexually harassed by his boss. Over the course of one day Adam is forced to confront his emotions, his guilt and his fear of becoming an outcast from his family. Over the same day, and not far from Adam, the Queen of the Fae (and her Faun) for reasons that aren't entirely made clear come into contact with the soul of a 17 year old girl recently murdered by her drug addicted boyfriend.
I like the idea of two narrative strands that are only tangentially connected, but where one is the mirror of the other. I just don't think Ness pulls it off. The supernatural action with the Queen is compelling – especially in how it explores violence and revenge and justice – but it often felt like a distraction from Adam's story. It's as if, in the hope of increasing his word-count (Release is a very short novel) Ness added the Queen's story. I'm sure that's not actually the case, but that's how it comes across.
This, though, is a minor quibble because Adam's story is so very good. The novel reminds us that as much as things have improved over the last thirty years in America for the LGTBQ community there are still teenagers out there struggling to come to terms with their sexual identity especially when they know that they are unlikely to be accepted by those closest to them. While Adam acknowledges his parent’s strict beliefs - to Ness’ credit they are not demonised – he also knows that they would be disgusted by who he loves. This leads him to question -
“What if they (his family) were right? What if there was something wrong with him? What if, on some level, way down deep inside, right down to the very simplest, purified form of who he was, what if he was corrupted? What if there was some tiny, tiny fault in the first building blocks of who he was, and everything since that first moment of life was just papering over an essential crack? And he was just a carapace built on a facade built on scaffolding and there was no real core to him, no real central worth? At all? Can I love? he thought. Can I? Can I be loved?"
Throughout the course of this one single day Adam learns that he is most definitely loved. How that devotion is expressed is complicated and nuanced and I hope that for those in Adam’s position today it may provide guidance and comfort. That's not to say that Ness offers up easy answers, but as raw and angry as this novel gets, and there are certainly uncomfortable, uneasy moments, this is a book that ultimately delivers compassion and hope.
This story perfectly captures the confusion and heartache of growing up, and including the challenges of self-discovery, especially when battling for the acceptance of family who don't understand. The overlapping alternating story was dark and a little confusing at points but the way it wrapped up all together at the end made everything worthwhile. Beautifully poignant and a great reminder of appreciating what you have in front of you and how to let go of the past. This was fast read, and maybe not as descriptive as what I usually seek out, but a beautiful story nonetheless, and a great LGBTQ+ story.
4.75 stars. The only reason it doesn’t get a full five is because I don’t think I completely understood the 2nd POV. I’ll definitely have to reread this at some point.
A YA contemporary set over the course of one day. Adam has to deal with a devout religious homophobic family. A broken heart. A farewell. And a boyfriend who he wishes he could let himself love. Heavy subject matter but with an extremely hopeful feel throughout. I loved how it was all resolved. Also it's patrick Ness so of course there's a really weird fantastical side story happening alongside the main one.
CW: explicit consensual sex, homophobic family, unwanted sexual advances.
CW: explicit consensual sex, homophobic family, unwanted sexual advances.