Martin Wilson (2) (1973–)

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.… (meer)

Sam Walsh went missing three years ago, presumed kidnapped and gone without a trace. His older sister, Beth, believed he was dead. His best friend, Josh, was wracked with guilt that maybe he could have done something to stop him from being taken. They both worried that they somehow contributed to Sam's disappearance. But when Sam is found alive, their worlds change all over again. While Sam is indeed Sam, his experience and his ordeal have changed him. As Beth and Josh deal with relating to the new Sam, Sam also needs to find a way to adapt to his own new reality. And then there's the age-old question: Do we talk about everything that happened as a means of processing it, or do we keep it all bottled up with the hope that we can just move past it? And the answer may be somewhere in between--a happy medium that is different for all three of them.

Told from the perspectives of Beth and Josh, this is a powerful and poignant story about love, regret, growing up, secrets, trauma, and simply dealing with the realities of life. This is likely to be a challenging read for some, especially considering the truth of what happened to Sam. But the author deals with the subject matter in a real and raw way, while demonstrating a sensitivity to Sam and to the others affected and impacted by the ordeal. There is no quick fix here for anyone. And sometimes we have to open doors when we know we won't like what's on the other side because if we leave the door closed, what's there will simply continue to haunt us. There's a lot for these teenagers to deal with in this story, but there's also a strength that each one of them demonstrates that I can only say is inspiring and instructional.… (meer)