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stormy_reading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, and Sexual content
ramreadsagain's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"When did you last read a novel about a young, black, gay, Jehovah's Witness man from wolverhampton who flees his community to make his way in London as a prostitute?" - Bernardine Evaristo.
I really liked this story of family, religion, identity and nationality (and also daddy issues). It's written so tenderly in a way that makes you really feel what Jesse feels as he crashes through early adulthood. I also feel like I've learnt a lot from it.
The last 100 pages were less good, featuring a 14 year time jump where a lot has magically developed and improved without us able to actually see Jesse experience it. I also found some of the commentary in the final chapters a bit heavy-handed.
Graphic: Drug abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Alcohol
Moderate: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, and War
Minor: Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Outing
louise010's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexual content
the_bookishkat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Drug use, Homophobia, Racial slurs, and Racism
sakisreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
lolasherwin's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia
eleanorareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Racial slurs and Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia and Racism
sauvageloup's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Pros:
- gripping and interesting writing throughout, which hooked me in right away. felt enormous sympathy for Norman from the first pages and for Jesse as we got to know him.
- the characters were painted so vividly that it felt like non-fic at times, like I could look them up online
- Mendez doesn't balk at any of grim realities Jesse faced, the abuse, some of the sex, the homophobia and internalised racism. there's never any shame put on Jesse for his choices by any of the decent characters and it really creates empathy
- I wanted so very badly for Jesse to do well, though I was afraid he wouldn't as there were so many ways he could've gone wrong - overdose, AIDS, or killed by a client. he wasn't like any other character I've read and I loved him
- it was strange but good to hear about the west Midlands in a book, the names of Dudley, Wolverhampton, merry Hill shopping centre, etc. all being familiar. and learning a bit more history of the area from a non-White perspective
- the book is also firmly placed in time through the music, a lot of which I didn't know, but still created an atmosphere. moving towards the 2000s felt like coming into familiar territory as I knew much more of those ones.
- as books like these always do, it made me think about my whiteness and what I can do to try to avoid the racism, personal and systemic, that Jesse faces.
- I did like how the book was structured, with the kind of prologue flashback of Norman's life at the start which eventually linked to Jesse.
- the book also raises the issue of beating kids as punishment, threatened by Norman and brutally carried out by Graham on Jesse. it's not confronted head on exactly, but I think it was clear it didn't work.
- oh and I did appreciate that there wasn't any biphobia, since bi people sometimes seem to slip by the wayside, but here were main characters and never dismissed or not included or acknowledged.
cons:
- I wish we had seen a bit more of Norman, since i liked him a lot, and it was tragic (but understandable I guess) that Jesse didn't get to meet his father.
- I felt that the shift from Jesse being 'Not Okay' to him being 'Okay' was too sudden, skipped over in time hops and summerised through flashbacks. After all of Jesse's suffering, to have seen that growth and recovery in the present tense would've been more rewarding I think, though I suppose Mendez thought it was the boring part of Jesse's story, his stay with Derrick, finding Owen and Ginika again, etc. I felt a bit robbed that we didn't get that part of the story.
- the part with Jean-Alain and Nick's dinner party right at the end, threw me a little too, but I suppose it was for the purpose of Jesse having that chat with J-A about the past. did feel stuck on the end though, like it was an extra scene randomly shoved into the main story.
overall, though, it was hugely readable and gripping, with a lot of important narratives and ideas in there, stories which haven't been the focus in the past, and highlighting the everyday racism and homophobia people still experience.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
heavy, graphic sex and drug use, along with child abuse by a parent and religious bigotryuranaishi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Medical content, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Slavery, Terminal illness, Police brutality, Dementia, Pregnancy, and Cultural appropriation
bootleghank's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Sexual content and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Drug abuse and Racial slurs