Reviews

This is an autobiographical novel, a coming of age story about growing up gay in a working class community in France. Surprisingly (to me anyway), the same narrow-minded, bigoted status quo that exists in many small towns in the U.S. also exists in France. This book is almost a companion piece to J.D. Vance's Hillbilly Elegy in its description of growing up in a family that is under-employed, with little respect for education, and with substance abuse issues.

Being effeminate in his voice and mannerisms from an early age, Eddy is bullied and stigmatized, especially after being sodomized at the age of by a fifteen year old cousin and another neighborhood friend. The cousin even bragged of the incident around school, but somehow the "gay" label only attached to Eddy, and not his cousin.

His parents love him, but their love is tinged with verbal cruelty, as they don't know what to do with him beyond trying to make him conform to local norms. His father is an alcoholic, and his mother is harried and neglectful.

Compared with Vance's book, Eddy's story seems self-pitying and a bit vindictive against his parents, who seemed to fail at parenting through not knowing any better, rather than through downright malevolence. Still, it's a compelling read, and if it is the first gay coming of age memoir you've ever read, it may stick with you.

alx7p's review against another edition

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4.0

Molto carino. Penso che lo rileggerò tra qualche anno!

timothyjmcl's review against another edition

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3.0

This book seemed a little too short to really say much about anything. The author offers anecdotes about being ashamed of his family’s class and his own sexual orientation, but there’s not much introspection about those incidents. And there’s no strong sense of resolution. It’s not a surprise that he escapes his surroundings, but I would have liked at least a little more about his new life.

bustyphillips's review against another edition

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1.0

I didn't like the writing style. There were too many cases of fragmentary stage directions where sentences would have worked much better.

stkieren's review against another edition

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reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

dmeda03's review against another edition

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reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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