CW: set aside a few minutes for this one (view spoiler)[lots of detailed sex scenes, self-harm, statutory rape of minor, heavy teen drug use, death byCW: set aside a few minutes for this one (view spoiler)[lots of detailed sex scenes, self-harm, statutory rape of minor, heavy teen drug use, death by unintentional overdose, death of loved one, parental neglect, marital affairs, cheating, child pornography through release of sex tape of minor (revenge porn), non consensual sex tape, underage drinking, slut and sex shaming, misogyny, animal death, depression, horse being hurt and dying due to poor horse riding, suicidal ideation including planning and discussion of method, mention of eating disorder (hide spoiler)]
Well I don't really know where to begin but I think I'll start with ... Oh Dear.
Let me also start off by saying I could not stop listening to this. You know those horrific situations where you just can't look away? This was like that for me. I enjoyed the narration style and seeing into the minds of multiple characters. Sometimes it almost felt like a documentary and I imagined David Attenborough, in his gentle voice, describing the fascinating mating rituals of privileged rich brats in their natural habitat. At the end of the day though, it is a story about a very wealthy group of entitled teens and their gossip girl type dramas. I have not read Anna Karenina but from my understanding it is a reasonable modern reimagining of that classic piece of literature but without the social commentary. The characters are all very melodramatic and there is an 'end of days' type attitude if your love is not reciprocated. I'm talking Gothic literature levels of woe. Romeo and Juliet was also referenced so by that you can gauge the tone of this lengthy novel. The parts I had real issues with were the lack of acknowledgement of the fact that there was a statutory rape that went completely unchallenged, the normalisation of serious drug and alcohol use, and the comments about girls being sluts and boys likened to studs if they bed lots of girls. FYI, the cast is all between the ages of 15 - 18. The parents also seemed mostly absent during all this partying, drug taking and sex scandals. It felt like trash. Highly addictive trash. There you go. I don't know if I liked it or hated it to be honest, but it was gripping regardless. Absolutely senior fiction in a high school.
I've just remembered the name of the movie I think it is very similar to. Cruel Intentions. Yeah, it's exactly like that....more
CW: (view spoiler)[severe bullying, coarse language, drug use, injections described, dog is injected with steroids, lots of t3.5 Stars rounded up to 4
CW: (view spoiler)[severe bullying, coarse language, drug use, injections described, dog is injected with steroids, lots of talk about how steroids affect male genitalia...like lots, sexual references, incidents of 'roid rage', death of a loved one through steroid abuse, dealing with grief (hide spoiler)]
Well that was an intense 'journey' book that, whilst heavy on the education side, was still incredibly engaging.
Novels that explore body and muscle dysmorphia in males are quite rare so I think that makes this book important. According to the author's note there is an increase in men suffering mental health issues stemming from body image. David was a solid main character that felt quite authentic in terms of his decision making and thought processes as he sought to shake off the bullies by bulking up. It is so refreshing and wonderful to see a story exposing men's vulnerabilities and I think Fred did a great job of this. Don't get me wrong, there was plenty of toxic masculinity in there, but it was portrayed as part of the expected behaviour of the body builders in this story. I don't have any knowledge of the accuracy of the steroid use etc but according to the author this is an ownvoice story. I may or may not have had a few tears towards the end...
I am really pleased we have a copy of this in the library but I will be sure to discuss the content warnings with anyone borrowing the book....more
Loading...
