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lilyheron 's review for:
Skater Boy
by Anthony Nerada
After a rocky opening page or two where I worried I would despise Wes, I pretty much immediately loved Skater Boy. In my experience, it's rare to find a "bad boy" or "teenage rebel" whose voice is actually tolerable to read, but Wes is deeply nuanced, thoughtful and caustic, and the author handles his journey to redemption so well. On the surface, Wes looks like the typical school bully on the edge of dropping out - picking on anyone who stands out from the crowd and basically spending his time riding his skateboard; smoking joints with his brutish friends; and being a dick to his soon-to-be stepfather. But pretty much immediately, you understand there's much more to Wes than might first appear. I found his loyalty to his Ma and kindness to his little stepsister honestly so touching, and his voice was so well developed that I found myself flung back to upper school and those exquisitely miserable teenage years stuck somewhere you don't want to be, confused about who you are and your place in the world.
rep: gay MC; Black gay LI; FF parents; Achillean secondary character.
cw: past domestic violence, child abuse, attempted murder; internalised homophobia; underage alcoholism and alcohol abuse; references to being kicked out after coming out.
Early on in the story, deeply closeted Wes is unwillingly dragged to a production of The Nutcracker by his family, where he meets Tristan, who is basically Wes' polar opposite - at least on the outside. It's difficult to discuss without spoilers, but something I loved about this book was how it demonstrates that the armour we put on to protect us from the world often shields the many similarities our true personalities share. But by trying to come to terms with his true self and pulling himself together in so many different ways (all of which are done so well, especially the author's exploration of how Wes' drive to protect his mother is unintentionally limiting his own life chances), Wes draws the ire of his best friends, who somehow manage to endearing even in their frustrating behaviour. I thought the author managed the characterisation of all the characters in the book in such an impressive way. I also thought the origins of Wes' anger, and his difficulties controlling his behaviour, were also handled with nuance and understanding, while never detracting from Wes' authentic voice.
An excellent debut, I'll be looking out for more novels by Anthony Nerada. Small touches such as the Christmastime setting; nods to 00s song titles for the chapters; and the author's note concerning changing the pronouns of song lyrics to fit your little closeted teen's hopes and dreams just added to the general sense of love I have for this book.
I am grateful to have received a copy of this book from Soho Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
rep: gay MC; Black gay LI; FF parents; Achillean secondary character.
cw: past domestic violence, child abuse, attempted murder; internalised homophobia; underage alcoholism and alcohol abuse; references to being kicked out after coming out.
Early on in the story, deeply closeted Wes is unwillingly dragged to a production of The Nutcracker by his family, where he meets Tristan, who is basically Wes' polar opposite - at least on the outside. It's difficult to discuss without spoilers, but something I loved about this book was how it demonstrates that the armour we put on to protect us from the world often shields the many similarities our true personalities share. But by trying to come to terms with his true self and pulling himself together in so many different ways (all of which are done so well, especially the author's exploration of how Wes' drive to protect his mother is unintentionally limiting his own life chances), Wes draws the ire of his best friends, who somehow manage to endearing even in their frustrating behaviour. I thought the author managed the characterisation of all the characters in the book in such an impressive way. I also thought the origins of Wes' anger, and his difficulties controlling his behaviour, were also handled with nuance and understanding, while never detracting from Wes' authentic voice.
An excellent debut, I'll be looking out for more novels by Anthony Nerada. Small touches such as the Christmastime setting; nods to 00s song titles for the chapters; and the author's note concerning changing the pronouns of song lyrics to fit your little closeted teen's hopes and dreams just added to the general sense of love I have for this book.
I am grateful to have received a copy of this book from Soho Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.