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A review by ivegotyourpaperback
Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
I feel like readers, regardless of their gender or sexual identity, will be able to relate to our main character, Max. At its core this is a story of a teenager trying to navigate an incredibly tough time in their life while trying to stay as ‘normal’ as possible.
The complexity of the story lies in the fact that Max is intersex (of which there are variations, which I didn’t know) and is violated by a trusted person, which has a ripple affect, altering Max’s life and the lives of those closest to him.
The story is multi-POV, being told from the following points of view:
* Max
* Max’s mum
* Max’s brother
* Max’s dad
* Max’s doctor
* Max’s girlfriend
It was important to me that each POV was explored, rather than having the whole story told solely from Max’s perspective. It made the story feel more real.
One of the biggest themes of the book by far, was bodily autonomy. What right did Max’s offender have to violate Max? How much information about Max’s condition should the Dr/ his parents have volunteered? What is the appropriate way to handle a teen pregnancy and who should be handling those decisions?
I think it’s incredibly fitting that I wrote this review on the day that the US Supreme Court overturned the Roe v Wade decision. If I were a less cynical person, I’d believe those Justice’s and the ‘pro-lifers’ would be more compassionate towards Max. Come to think of it, it’s probably a good thing the story is set in the UK.
Content warnings:
⚠️Rape
⚠️Abortion
⚠️Attempted suicide
The complexity of the story lies in the fact that Max is intersex (of which there are variations, which I didn’t know) and is violated by a trusted person, which has a ripple affect, altering Max’s life and the lives of those closest to him.
The story is multi-POV, being told from the following points of view:
* Max
* Max’s mum
* Max’s brother
* Max’s dad
* Max’s doctor
* Max’s girlfriend
It was important to me that each POV was explored, rather than having the whole story told solely from Max’s perspective. It made the story feel more real.
One of the biggest themes of the book by far, was bodily autonomy. What right did Max’s offender have to violate Max? How much information about Max’s condition should the Dr/ his parents have volunteered? What is the appropriate way to handle a teen pregnancy and who should be handling those decisions?
I think it’s incredibly fitting that I wrote this review on the day that the US Supreme Court overturned the Roe v Wade decision. If I were a less cynical person, I’d believe those Justice’s and the ‘pro-lifers’ would be more compassionate towards Max. Come to think of it, it’s probably a good thing the story is set in the UK.
Content warnings:
⚠️Rape
⚠️Abortion
⚠️Attempted suicide
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Abortion and Suicide attempt