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olivialandryxo 's review for:
The Dangerous Art of Blending in
by Angelo Surmelis
CW: extreme homophobia, violence toward gay characters, abuse, assault, bullying, grief, suicidal ideation, depression
This is without a doubt a very powerful and important novel. I didn’t expect it to be fluffy going in, but I also didn’t expect it to be what it was: an ownvoices story about a Greek boy in a religious family that’s severely abused by his mother because he’s gay.
I find this review challenging to write, as any criticism I have is also indirectly criticizing the author’s own life. The author’s note tells readers that this novel closely mirrors his own childhood, making it all the harder to review. This is why I don’t read autobiographies or memoirs.
There were plenty of ups and downs throughout the book. Evan and Henry were good characters on their own, but I don’t think their relationship was a good idea, as Evan is still recovering from his mother’s abuse and doesn’t have a solid support system beyond Henry. I liked Evan’s father, but too often he took his wife’s side over his son’s or stepped back from the situation entirely. This book features religion more prominently than most others I’ve read, and included the nuances of it and the effects it could have on other parts of life. I liked the Greek culture intertwined throughout, as well as Evan’s use of art to escape and to express.
My favorite thing about this novel was Henry’s family. They loved Evan like a second son, a second brother, and they cared for him. It wasn’t a frequent occurrence, but when it was there, it was a nice reprieve.
My least favorite thing was the texting. I’ve lost count of how many times I or another teen in the book community have expressed our dislike of the way authors abbreviate in such conversations. It’s no longer realistic and is now cringeworthy, if I’m being honest. The texts had words that were abbreviated by removing the vowels, and it looked strange. When Evan or his friends would say “for this” or “to that,” it was instead written as “4this” and “2that.” I’ve never texted like that and I’ve never seen texts like that. It’s 2018, authors, please don’t do that.
Although this ended up being an average read for me, it’s definitely an important novel. Queer abuse is unfortunately a part of the queer experience for many, and all parts of the community should be represented, however unpleasant. I wouldn’t recommend this to everyone, but if you believe you’re up for the content, then absolutely go for it. It’s a moving story that deserves to be read.
This is without a doubt a very powerful and important novel. I didn’t expect it to be fluffy going in, but I also didn’t expect it to be what it was: an ownvoices story about a Greek boy in a religious family that’s severely abused by his mother because he’s gay.
I find this review challenging to write, as any criticism I have is also indirectly criticizing the author’s own life. The author’s note tells readers that this novel closely mirrors his own childhood, making it all the harder to review. This is why I don’t read autobiographies or memoirs.
There were plenty of ups and downs throughout the book. Evan and Henry were good characters on their own, but I don’t think their relationship was a good idea, as Evan is still recovering from his mother’s abuse and doesn’t have a solid support system beyond Henry. I liked Evan’s father, but too often he took his wife’s side over his son’s or stepped back from the situation entirely. This book features religion more prominently than most others I’ve read, and included the nuances of it and the effects it could have on other parts of life. I liked the Greek culture intertwined throughout, as well as Evan’s use of art to escape and to express.
My favorite thing about this novel was Henry’s family. They loved Evan like a second son, a second brother, and they cared for him. It wasn’t a frequent occurrence, but when it was there, it was a nice reprieve.
My least favorite thing was the texting. I’ve lost count of how many times I or another teen in the book community have expressed our dislike of the way authors abbreviate in such conversations. It’s no longer realistic and is now cringeworthy, if I’m being honest. The texts had words that were abbreviated by removing the vowels, and it looked strange. When Evan or his friends would say “for this” or “to that,” it was instead written as “4this” and “2that.” I’ve never texted like that and I’ve never seen texts like that. It’s 2018, authors, please don’t do that.
Although this ended up being an average read for me, it’s definitely an important novel. Queer abuse is unfortunately a part of the queer experience for many, and all parts of the community should be represented, however unpleasant. I wouldn’t recommend this to everyone, but if you believe you’re up for the content, then absolutely go for it. It’s a moving story that deserves to be read.