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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
/insert words here about how this story was incredibly important and beautiful. Because it was, I’m just not the right person to articulate it.
It’s a YA about two young indigenous Australians finding out more about themselves and that’s what you are in for.
It’s a YA about two young indigenous Australians finding out more about themselves and that’s what you are in for.
Jackson is a seventeen year old Aboriginal boy living with his mother and brother on the Mish, a small tourist town in New South Wales. He spends his days hanging out with his friends, trying to avoid getting into fights with racists and more or less staying out of trouble with the police.
His Aunt and his cousins come to visit one Christmas, in tow is a boy named Tomas who is being fostered by his Aunt. Tomas is a quiet, mysterious bad boy with a troubled past and an artistic temperament. While Jackson initially resents having to look after Tomas, their relationship slowly begins to evolve and despite Jackson's repeated declarations to himself that "I'm straight!", he finds himself more and more attracted to Tomas and unsure what to do with those feelings.
It's always hard coming to terms with being different, whether it's part of your sexual identity, or your race, and in Jackson's case he absolutely doesn't want to be "the gay one" to everyone in town. He just wants to fit in with everyone else. And he feels that added pressure that not knowing any other gay Aboriginals, he assumes that he'll become an outcast among his own people.
Look, I have a weakness for these gay coming of age books, partly because I didn't have anything like this when I was growing up to help sort shit out in my brain, but also partly because it's just a really sweet genre. So it's always interesting to read them from a perspective I'm not that familiar with. And I do say that with some amount of embarrassment as an Australian. While I've learned about the various cultures of Indigenous Australians, there's always more to learn and I have no excuse for not doing so.
This is a really sweet book, I found both Jackson and Tomas very likeable in their own ways, and empathised with their frustrations and fears. It's written in a very visual way too, I couldn't help but think of being out in the bush as they hiked up a mountain or sitting on the beach as they splashed about in the water.
It's genuine and heart felt and for anyone who enjoys this sub-genre, I highly recommend it. I'm always on the look out for lgbt themed novels written by First Nations people, so I'm glad I've found such a great one in "The Boy From the Mish".
His Aunt and his cousins come to visit one Christmas, in tow is a boy named Tomas who is being fostered by his Aunt. Tomas is a quiet, mysterious bad boy with a troubled past and an artistic temperament. While Jackson initially resents having to look after Tomas, their relationship slowly begins to evolve and despite Jackson's repeated declarations to himself that "I'm straight!", he finds himself more and more attracted to Tomas and unsure what to do with those feelings.
It's always hard coming to terms with being different, whether it's part of your sexual identity, or your race, and in Jackson's case he absolutely doesn't want to be "the gay one" to everyone in town. He just wants to fit in with everyone else. And he feels that added pressure that not knowing any other gay Aboriginals, he assumes that he'll become an outcast among his own people.
Look, I have a weakness for these gay coming of age books, partly because I didn't have anything like this when I was growing up to help sort shit out in my brain, but also partly because it's just a really sweet genre. So it's always interesting to read them from a perspective I'm not that familiar with. And I do say that with some amount of embarrassment as an Australian. While I've learned about the various cultures of Indigenous Australians, there's always more to learn and I have no excuse for not doing so.
This is a really sweet book, I found both Jackson and Tomas very likeable in their own ways, and empathised with their frustrations and fears. It's written in a very visual way too, I couldn't help but think of being out in the bush as they hiked up a mountain or sitting on the beach as they splashed about in the water.
It's genuine and heart felt and for anyone who enjoys this sub-genre, I highly recommend it. I'm always on the look out for lgbt themed novels written by First Nations people, so I'm glad I've found such a great one in "The Boy From the Mish".
This gave me similar vibes as Aristotle and Dante!! I started reading after midnight and only stopped at 3:30 in the morning... it really got me!
lighthearted
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Debut author Gary Lonesborough navigates us beautifully through a painful, angst ridden and fraught first love for the main protagonist, Jackson. The author's style is crisp and spare, he paints the Australian coastal community with a deft touch, leaving the reader to see, smell and hear the familiar world of the Aussie Christmas holiday for themselves. The characters are well written, you can feel the roller coaster ride of Jackson's emotions and hormones as he finds his way through sharing his greatest secret in a slow and sensitive reveal. As a gay Indigenous teenager, he experiences his fair share of discrimination, but what I really enjoyed about The Boy from the Mish was the hope the story is threaded with from interactions with family, friends, his community and random (Christmas) campers. So while there are tough times ahead for Jackson and Tomas, there are also good times making good memories.
The story shares priceless teaching glimpses of the world's oldest living culture, family dynamics and personal courage.
A great read.
The story shares priceless teaching glimpses of the world's oldest living culture, family dynamics and personal courage.
A great read.
Really enjoyed this one. It captures the teenage boy voice really well and even though the relationship developed quite quickly it felt natural and I liked the way it dealt with the shame of realizing you're gay in an environment that hasn't made it clear that it was an okay thing for you to be. Also really liked that at the end the MC and LI aren't necessarily out to all important people in their lives (there is a small outing subplot tho be warned)
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes