A review by indigoivee
Tradition by Brendan Kiely

4.0

Oh my wow. I don’t typically read books written by men, especially if they touch on sexual harassment and feministic topics, but this book was absolutely brilliant. By the alternating point of view between Jules and Jamie, you really get an inside look at how patriarchal and severely unfair the social status at private schools is. Jules experiences these outdated social laws first-hand and takes a stand against them bravely by creating boundaries and asserting herself in a male-dominated society. Jamie on the other hand is tired of living up to the expectations society has placed on him so he does everything he can to prove otherwise. And when these two become friends I swear the world made sense. The way Jules could rely on Jamie without any conditions or even a hint of romantic interest was so genuine and so pure and the way Jamie knew he could count on Jules to be there for him, no strings attached, made the story so much better.

And while a part of me thought they’d get together eventually, I think the fact that they didn’t only go to prove that boys and girls can have platonic relationships but also can depend on each other to step up and be the voices they need when the time comes. This was a perfect example of using white supremacy and masculinity to your advantage and taking what society perceives as presentable and twisting their perception to the real issues at hand.

Perfectly written and honestly captivating. The social hierarchy, the injustice, the true friendship and the alliances really brought this book together in a way I haven’t ever read before. Outstanding.

Favourite quote: “Rumors become stories. Stories become the truth. And we live by the lies we believe.”