A review by longlost
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

emotional hopeful tense medium-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

5.0

He hung up. I felt my stomach drop at his final words.
"Hello, I hope somebody is listening," I said, under my breath.
Words I'd spent the last two years listening to over and over, words I'd sketched again and again inside speech bubbles and on my bedroom wall. Words I'd heard in a male voice and a female voice, changing every few weeks, always in that classic World-War-II old-time radio accent.
The opening line of every Universe City episode.
"Hello. I hope somebody is listening."

Happy to say that this makes three out of three stories from Alice Oseman that I've read and enjoyed wholeheartedly. The way they handle the relationships between their characters feels so authentic, and it's definitely one of my favourite things about her books so far. The tenuous build of Frances and Aled's friendship,

the midway point where accusations are made and misunderstandings are had that so often feel contrived in other books, yet here feel perfectly real and understandable for these characters.

I read this book over the course of a few days, and every time I put it down to do something else my mind always wandered back to these characters and what happened next and how everything would work out, if it did.

Both Alice Oseman books I've read previously - Loveless and Heartstopper - felt like a very personal read to me. As an aroace person Loveless was very important in helping me round the corner to understanding my identity, and while Heartstopper didn't hit quite as many personal beats, ultimately it was a story that brought me a lot of comfort and that I'll continue to read as future updates to the comic come out. Radio Silence was no different in that it almost felt like it was written for me - Frances and her determination to get into Cambridge, and the way her dream that had been driving her for the entire book turned out to not be quite exactly what she wanted. Aled's attempts to reach out to February Friday through Universe City - the worldbuilding of Universe City in general was one I particularly enjoyed, and a story that I wish we could explore more in-depth. The depth we were slowly given in characters like Daniel or Raine, and how their relationships interconnected with both Frances and Aled. The story behind Carys and her mysterious disappearance.

Alice's attention to character really shines here - the development of Frances and Aled's relationship feels incredibly authentic and heartwarming,

while the subsequent breakdown of it after Aled's secret is revealed never feels cheap or unjustified - you understand why Aled is so hurt, and as you continue to follow the story it begins to make even more sense.

Aled's story throughout the book was hard to read.

The scene where Frances tries to comfort him after he learns his mother has had his childhood dog put down while he was away at university was heartbreaking,

and the glimpses we get into his fraught relationship with his mother felt painfully familiar. I related to him more and more with every turn of the page,

and the fact that the book ends with Aled out of his abusive situation and pursuing the things he loves, happy and surrounded by people who love him, couldn't have possibly meant more to me.

It was also painfully easy to relate to Frances -

her determination to study English literature at Cambridge, even though it didn't make her happy, because university and a good-paying job are what's ingrained into us throughout the school system. As someone who struggled with school and grades myself, her storyline meant a lot to me.

Alice Oseman weaves the mystery of Carys and Aled's family life superbly - they reveal the right information at the right moments, keeping you in the dark about facts until it is absolutely necessary for them to be revealed, and when they are it makes previous sequences of the book even more impactful. Her skill at character-building and writing relationships, including the problems that come with them, really shine in this book. Radio Silence is a book I'll definitely be coming back to in the future to revisit these characters and their stories again. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Stalking

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Blood and Injury/Injury detail

GRAPHIC: Child abuse / domestic abuse / emotional abuse: The book slowly reveals that

Aled faces severe emotional abuse from his mother. Carys, before her disappearance, also faced emotional and physical abuse.

Stalking: Both Frances and Aled are subjected to online stalking during

the reveal of the creator of Universe City.

Toxic relationship: Aled is shown

to feel trapped in his abusive relationship with his mother.

MODERATE: Abandonment:

Carys, fed up with the abuse she faces from their mother, runs away prior to the book's events, which eventually leads to Aled becoming the main victim of the abuse.

Alcohol: Alcohol is present at several nightclubs / parties during the book.

Frances, Aled and Daniel also get drunk together in one scene that goes on for a few chapters.

Animal cruelty / animal death:

While Aled is away at university, his mother has Brian, their childhood dog, put down.

Cursing: There is cursing throughout the book. Fire / fire injury:

Carys talks about an incident with her mother in which she burned some of Carys's clothes, and Carys burnt her hands trying to retrieve them from the fire.

Gaslighting: Aled's mother. Mental illness: Towards the end of the book

Aled is clearly not doing well.

There is never a name given to the feelings, but it may be uncomfortable to read. Physical abuse:

Carys is at the very least implied to have experienced physical abuse from their mother. In one scene Aled's mother forcefully cuts his hair and inadvertently cuts his palm.

MINOR: Blood:

Aled's palm is noted to be bleeding after the scene in which his mother forcefully cuts his hair.

Injury / injury detail:

We are given some detail on both the injury to Aled's hand after his hair is cut, and to Carys's burned fingers.