Coming out is never easy to do
by Becky Albertalli
Kindle Edition, 313 pages
Published April 7th 2015 by Penguin
Simon is 16 at high school and suffering all the normal teenage angst of who is he, where does he belong and how do you get the courage to talk to someone you like? The twist is that for Simon well he likes guys not women and that makes life even more complicated.
This is a gentle coming out story told through Simon's point of view. It is funny, it self-deprecating and treads through the complexities of teenage relationships where everything is life and death. The characters are well thought out and Simon is beautifully flawed. As he discovers more about who he is, he also realises just how much he does not know about his friends. The characters voices are spot on and really engaging.
What I really like is when Simon does encounter issues when he makes his sexuality known Albertalli demonstrates what a perfect world can be for young people. When high schools anti-bullying policies are enacted and families are supportive the process of announcing your sexuality should only ever be about introducing your new relationship. This the way it should be but we know that it not always the case, more often that not the opposite occurs.
This book offers a lot of hope and it is a captivating read.
This book has recently been on the big screen as 'Love, Simon' and has high applauded. Reading the book I understand why.
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