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A review by finlaaaay
What They Always Tell Us by Martin Wilson
3.0
I got this from the bookshop "Gay's the Word" in London. About two years ago. I think I've had some kind of depression stopping me from actually reading all the shit I buy or something. Anyway, I've read it now!
Anyway the book was fine, a gay coming out/coming of age story, but nothing special for me. The printing was a bit crap, to be honest - on many pages the letters were out of line with each other.
The first chapter, where one of the main characters loses most of his friendships by attempting suicide at a party, and makes friends with his weird ten-year-old neighbour, was published before the rest of the book as a short story. It kind of shows, mainly because the book doesn't know what to do with the younger kid after that. He becomes a kind of weird sideshow character, turning up from time to time as a kind of secondary (yet interesting enough) drama as the book explores the mystery of his parentage. But it's ultimately folly, he kind of disappears towards the end.
The book switches points of view between two brothers, Alex and James. Alex falls in love and starts dating James's friend Nathen. James works it out, and fortunately isn't a dick about it, but they live in the rural South, so that can't be said for the rest of Alex's friends.
It has a bittersweet ending, and some of the plot points aren't fully resolved, but I think that's indicative of that stage of life. As with some other YA fiction I've read recently, I'm not really the target audience for this one. It can bit hit-and-miss whether I strongly identify with these books or not.
Anyway the book was fine, a gay coming out/coming of age story, but nothing special for me. The printing was a bit crap, to be honest - on many pages the letters were out of line with each other.
The first chapter, where one of the main characters loses most of his friendships by attempting suicide at a party, and makes friends with his weird ten-year-old neighbour, was published before the rest of the book as a short story. It kind of shows, mainly because the book doesn't know what to do with the younger kid after that. He becomes a kind of weird sideshow character, turning up from time to time as a kind of secondary (yet interesting enough) drama as the book explores the mystery of his parentage. But it's ultimately folly, he kind of disappears towards the end.
The book switches points of view between two brothers, Alex and James. Alex falls in love and starts dating James's friend Nathen. James works it out, and fortunately isn't a dick about it, but they live in the rural South, so that can't be said for the rest of Alex's friends.
It has a bittersweet ending, and some of the plot points aren't fully resolved, but I think that's indicative of that stage of life. As with some other YA fiction I've read recently, I'm not really the target audience for this one. It can bit hit-and-miss whether I strongly identify with these books or not.