A review by conspystery
Release by Patrick Ness

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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

4.5

 This book felt all the way through like a simultaneous act of defiance and of ultimate self-acceptance. True to its main character, it was prodigal, and I loved it. 

The writing itself is beautiful-- as other reviews have said, it definitely evoked Woolf in a stunning, contemporary way (and nodded directly to her a few times, which I much appreciated!) The writing winds around the events of the narrative with the same kind of exhausted assurance the story demands, allowing the reader to feel the weight of time with Adam as the story and day goes on. In the abstract, parallel sections with the faun and the Queen, the writing seemed to occupy its own liminal space, playing with urgency just as the Queen seems to. It was compelling.

This book tells a story about identity and self-acceptance and love, as well as one about defiance and justice and unfairness-- facets of these issues are explored in different capacities between the two plotlines of Adam and the spirit dimension. Most of the narrative draw, though, comes from Adam’s story. He struggles to come to terms with the reality of his situation, which weighs down on him throughout the piece: his feelings for Enzo and Linus, how to define family, what value he allows himself to feel he has, how to reconcile his self-worth in the face of intolerance, and what the breaking point of love is. A flawed but deeply good person, with an introspective drive to be true to himself guiding his actions over the course of the day the novel spans. His relationships with his family, his best friend, his ex, and his boyfriend are all painted with his search for genuine self-understanding and how his actions impact the people around him, and therefore all of them are sophisticated and full of depth. Not to mention the individuality-- every character in this novel feels like a fully-fledged person. I loved Angela especially, how her presence in Adam’s life was so vibrant and important, and how that cruciality was reflected with narrative weight.

I had a few problems with this book: at times, the connection between the two storylines felt unclear theme-wise, and the faun and Queen’s section was a bit far-out with its abstraction for me. It wasn’t a dealbreaker, though, and the dissonance was resolved at the end in a way I felt was satisfyingly recontextualizing. I also had qualms with how graphic the book could get at points, but this is moreso a matter of personal preference, and I think the graphic nature of the scenes was necessary to communicate their themes.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The dreamlike, or nightmare-like, story of the faun and the Queen was a good counterbalance to the rooted reality of Adam’s plotline, which confronted the struggle for self-definition and acceptance in the face of society’s expectations with a thoughtful, emotional perspective. There are layers and layers and layers to this book-- intricate theological references, the parallels between stories, the different kinds of love explored-- but at its core it addresses the simple question of when to let go: of love, of unfairness, of family, of self-hate, and of inhibitions. It does so beautifully. 
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