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A review by rm206
Unabiding Halls by C.E. Case
4.0
Unabiding Halls isn't for everyone. It's amateur sleuthing, campus noir, post-grad identity grasping that is particularly and peculiarly set for older Millennials: a time of Facebook and IMs, but not being entirely bound to your cell phone. A time when you could be openly gay, but would still have some reservations about being *too* open away from your bubble of safety. Say, somewhere between 2007 and 2011. (For the keen eye and esoteric soccer knowledge, it's the Kara Lang reference that gives it away.)
Shelby, whose point of view carries the story, has graduated but not moved on. She clings to the familiarity of campus and her college soccer team for stability while the world loses direction. She is shaken and scared and not entirely sure of herself. Her narrative isn't a direct and easy read; in interactions, as much is said as is left unsaid. There is banter and a sense of community that is both familiar if you've experienced it, and leaves you with a sense of being an outsider to *this* community compared to the characters that live there.
Romance takes a backseat to the character's journey, but like any noir, the temptation is there, in both the safety and danger. It's a nice change of pace if you want queer characters whose stories aren't about addressing their queer identities.
I wish there were more books that fit this niche. As someone who graduated college in 2008, I find the setting and the cadence familiar and nostalgic for a time not so far gone. As a long-time soccer fan, I find the sport references spot-on and unforced. Having dated an athlete while in college, I am reminded of how the flip-flopping cockiness and vulnerability are frustrating - and accurate.
I would say this isn't a leisure read for turning off your brain. It's a story you have to want, otherwise reading it might feel like work. And I wanted it. I enjoyed it.
Shelby, whose point of view carries the story, has graduated but not moved on. She clings to the familiarity of campus and her college soccer team for stability while the world loses direction. She is shaken and scared and not entirely sure of herself. Her narrative isn't a direct and easy read; in interactions, as much is said as is left unsaid. There is banter and a sense of community that is both familiar if you've experienced it, and leaves you with a sense of being an outsider to *this* community compared to the characters that live there.
Romance takes a backseat to the character's journey, but like any noir, the temptation is there, in both the safety and danger. It's a nice change of pace if you want queer characters whose stories aren't about addressing their queer identities.
I wish there were more books that fit this niche. As someone who graduated college in 2008, I find the setting and the cadence familiar and nostalgic for a time not so far gone. As a long-time soccer fan, I find the sport references spot-on and unforced. Having dated an athlete while in college, I am reminded of how the flip-flopping cockiness and vulnerability are frustrating - and accurate.
I would say this isn't a leisure read for turning off your brain. It's a story you have to want, otherwise reading it might feel like work. And I wanted it. I enjoyed it.