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I have not read Mrs. Dalloway by Virgina Woolf. In fact I've never read Virginia Woolf. I have not read Forever by Judy Blume. In fact, I've never read Judy Blume. Everyone has holes in their book-reading life and these are a couple of mine. I make this confession because Patrick Ness' new novel Release takes its inspiration from the works quoted above. In the case of Mrs. Dalloway, Ness borrows (with slight modifications) the opening and closing sentences and the novel’s timeframe, Release like Mrs. Dalloway takes place over a single day. With regard to Forever, Ness is influenced by that books warts and all discussion of teenage sexuality and, to a lesser degree, its one word title. Where the Blume and Ness differ is the sexuality that's explored – heterosexual vs homosexual. Having said all that, for those like me who aren't privy to the antecedents it doesn't much matter. Release stands on its own.
Adam Thorn is a seventeen year old in a state of existential crisis. He's in love with two guys his age, though his feelings for his ex are stronger than those for his boyfriend. He's also keeping his sexuality secret from his preacher father and devout mother and brother. And, to top it all off (with a rotten cherry), he is being sexually harassed by his boss. Over the course of one day Adam is forced to confront his emotions, his guilt and his fear of becoming an outcast from his family. Over the same day, and not far from Adam, the Queen of the Fae (and her Faun) for reasons that aren't entirely made clear come into contact with the soul of a 17 year old girl recently murdered by her drug addicted boyfriend.
I like the idea of two narrative strands that are only tangentially connected, but where one is the mirror of the other. I just don't think Ness pulls it off. The supernatural action with the Queen is compelling – especially in how it explores violence and revenge and justice – but it often felt like a distraction from Adam's story. It's as if, in the hope of increasing his word-count (Release is a very short novel) Ness added the Queen's story. I'm sure that's not actually the case, but that's how it comes across.
This, though, is a minor quibble because Adam's story is so very good. The novel reminds us that as much as things have improved over the last thirty years in America for the LGTBQ community there are still teenagers out there struggling to come to terms with their sexual identity especially when they know that they are unlikely to be accepted by those closest to them. While Adam acknowledges his parent’s strict beliefs - to Ness’ credit they are not demonised – he also knows that they would be disgusted by who he loves. This leads him to question -
“What if they (his family) were right? What if there was something wrong with him? What if, on some level, way down deep inside, right down to the very simplest, purified form of who he was, what if he was corrupted? What if there was some tiny, tiny fault in the first building blocks of who he was, and everything since that first moment of life was just papering over an essential crack? And he was just a carapace built on a facade built on scaffolding and there was no real core to him, no real central worth? At all? Can I love? he thought. Can I? Can I be loved?"
Throughout the course of this one single day Adam learns that he is most definitely loved. How that devotion is expressed is complicated and nuanced and I hope that for those in Adam’s position today it may provide guidance and comfort. That's not to say that Ness offers up easy answers, but as raw and angry as this novel gets, and there are certainly uncomfortable, uneasy moments, this is a book that ultimately delivers compassion and hope.
Adam Thorn is a seventeen year old in a state of existential crisis. He's in love with two guys his age, though his feelings for his ex are stronger than those for his boyfriend. He's also keeping his sexuality secret from his preacher father and devout mother and brother. And, to top it all off (with a rotten cherry), he is being sexually harassed by his boss. Over the course of one day Adam is forced to confront his emotions, his guilt and his fear of becoming an outcast from his family. Over the same day, and not far from Adam, the Queen of the Fae (and her Faun) for reasons that aren't entirely made clear come into contact with the soul of a 17 year old girl recently murdered by her drug addicted boyfriend.
I like the idea of two narrative strands that are only tangentially connected, but where one is the mirror of the other. I just don't think Ness pulls it off. The supernatural action with the Queen is compelling – especially in how it explores violence and revenge and justice – but it often felt like a distraction from Adam's story. It's as if, in the hope of increasing his word-count (Release is a very short novel) Ness added the Queen's story. I'm sure that's not actually the case, but that's how it comes across.
This, though, is a minor quibble because Adam's story is so very good. The novel reminds us that as much as things have improved over the last thirty years in America for the LGTBQ community there are still teenagers out there struggling to come to terms with their sexual identity especially when they know that they are unlikely to be accepted by those closest to them. While Adam acknowledges his parent’s strict beliefs - to Ness’ credit they are not demonised – he also knows that they would be disgusted by who he loves. This leads him to question -
“What if they (his family) were right? What if there was something wrong with him? What if, on some level, way down deep inside, right down to the very simplest, purified form of who he was, what if he was corrupted? What if there was some tiny, tiny fault in the first building blocks of who he was, and everything since that first moment of life was just papering over an essential crack? And he was just a carapace built on a facade built on scaffolding and there was no real core to him, no real central worth? At all? Can I love? he thought. Can I? Can I be loved?"
Throughout the course of this one single day Adam learns that he is most definitely loved. How that devotion is expressed is complicated and nuanced and I hope that for those in Adam’s position today it may provide guidance and comfort. That's not to say that Ness offers up easy answers, but as raw and angry as this novel gets, and there are certainly uncomfortable, uneasy moments, this is a book that ultimately delivers compassion and hope.