Title:
The Invisibles.
Author:
Francis Gideon.
Genre:
YA, Romance (M/M), Contemporary, LGBTQ+.
A
few starting notes:
I
received a free digital review copy of this book via NetGalley.
NetGalley provides review copies from publishers (in this case +Less Than Three Press, LLC ) in exchange for fair
and honest reviews.
I didn't really have any expectations of this short story - never heard of it, never heard of the author. I picked it solely on the premise, because it seemed quite interesting.
Premise:
Mike is the new kid in school. No one suspects that the 9th of September, 2001, will be anything but another day.
In the chaos that hits the whole country when the towers fall, Mike slips out of school with Ray and Johnny - and they bond over movies and comic books.
Against a backdrop of comics and friendship, Mike starts to wonder if Johnny has his own secret identity... and if it's an identity he's willing to share.
Best
bits:
This is a really sweet (but luckily not overly sweet,) story - capturing perfectly the awkwardness of teen identity, friendship, and romance.
The awkwardness never gets cringe-y, and remains cute but not patronising. To be honest, achieving this balance is pretty damned difficult to achieve, and I was impressed by the level of skill that Francis Gideon uses to pull it off.
I also love the comic-book language that the boys use to converse, and to make their way through life.
Of course, being a total nerd, and knowing that comics are more than just comics, I would delight in these bits - but I'm pretty sure non-comics-savvy-folk would understand enough to not be left in the dark.
Of course, being a total nerd, and knowing that comics are more than just comics, I would delight in these bits - but I'm pretty sure non-comics-savvy-folk would understand enough to not be left in the dark.
Not
so great bits:
Some people may not be too happy about the references to porn, but there's nothing graphic sex-wise here. There is some swearing, which won't be to everyone's taste.
Occasionally, there is an awkwardness to some of the prose - maybe the syntax (order of the words - check me out with my technical terms and my smarticalness!) is a bit off in places. It's not a big problem, but it's a little jarring when reading.
To me, the 9/11 fixation seemed a little much, but then I was very small and living in South Wales at the time, so wouldn't know to what extent it affected everyday life in the USA.
Verdict:
This is a sweet and well-written romance with an excellent depiction of the awkwardness of teenage social life, and the uncertainties of love and identity.
It flows really well, and will melt some of the most frozen of hearts.
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