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A review by coops456
If You Still Recognise Me by Cynthia So
5.0
I've been keeping an eye on Cynthia So's output since I read their contribution to the excellent [b:Proud|41553972|Proud|Juno Dawson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1535453542l/41553972._SY75_.jpg|64831833] anthology, and was delighted to see the release of their debut novel. It didn't disappoint. If You Still Recognise Me is a wonderful UK-set coming of age story, with well-drawn diverse characters.
If you've ever felt othered, whether because of your perceived race, sexuality or gender identity, this book will make you feel seen. At its heart, it's simply a brilliant read.
This. Exactly this.
In Jun 2023 copies of this book were delivered to all secondary schools in Southend-on-Sea as part of Jacqson Diego Story Emporium's "Book Elves" initiative.
"I often catch myself pretending to be something that I'm not, and it's not a deliberate disguise. It's just habit. Or like a face mask, something you put on but then you absorb its essence into your skin, so that even if you peel off the mask it's already in your blood, a deeply ingrained part of you."
If you've ever felt othered, whether because of your perceived race, sexuality or gender identity, this book will make you feel seen. At its heart, it's simply a brilliant read.
"...whether this awareness of being set apart from others is something that I've internalised, so that I just feel like I'm unwelcome because of my long history of not belonging, or whether it's something that's really happening to me in the actual moment, that I really am being treated differently, in a way I can't articulate but can only feel, because life has made me uniquely sensitive to it."
This. Exactly this.
In Jun 2023 copies of this book were delivered to all secondary schools in Southend-on-Sea as part of Jacqson Diego Story Emporium's "Book Elves" initiative.