The diverse representation in this book is done in such a way that the character’s identity feels like one part of them and not something that defines their personality. I just miss him… not even getting with him, just… being with him… him sleeping round my house… playing video games… I just want to hear his voice… I want him to tell me the truth…” The heartbreak that you feel when you lose such close friends is depicted so realistically and definitely connected to me a lot. We get to read so few books about the joys of such friendships, that this one just warmed my heart. I absolutely love the idea of platonic soulmates and I really believe you can love someone a lot, feel that they complete you and not feel attracted to them. Their midnight revisions for exams, snacking at odd times, lying on the floor and planning the podcast – all of these scenes are written beautifully and why they quickly became such great friends is so evident.
#Radio silence review tv
Frances and Aled bond over their clothing choices, music and TV shows and mostly about their love for art. The best part of this book are the friendships of all kind. I couldn’t quite believe how much I seriously loved Aled Last, even if it wasn’t in the ideal way that would make it socially acceptable for us to live together until we die. And instead of talking to them, he feels that they would hate him if he tried to explain his behavior and distances himself from everyone and goes into a spiral. He suffers from a lot of anxiety (possibly depression) and doesn’t believe he truly deserves all the love he gets from his closest friends. It’s probably the one thing he cares about the most because it’s something he has done for himself, to express his pain and despair through stories, and also hopefully as a plea to his twin sister Carys who ran away from home a couple of years ago. He is smart, gets exceptional grades, has gotten into University but his real passion is his podcast. He is just so shy and sweet and soft and I wanted to wrap him up and protect him. Sometimes I think if nobody spoke to me, I’d never speak again. And I thought maybe that was normal, but then I wondered whether that was actually really strange.
I was just thinking the other day… about the fact that I never speak to myself out loud. So, getting into the head of Frances, reading about all her anxieties, felt so real and nostalgic. Reading was probably my only hobby but I couldn’t afford English novels and mostly read whatever spiritual books I found at home. I was only a good student, hardly had any social life except sometimes, singing in a group at school events. She is an artist but doesn’t think a hobby can be a choice for college or career but I never even had that side to me. I just felt transported to my high school days whenever she has these inner monologues because that’s exactly how I was. She believes it’s her only possible option because she is not good at anything except getting good grades. She almost gets panic attacks about the possibility of not getting into Cambridge because she has worked very hard towards that single goal. But at home, she is a huge nerd who loves wearing quirky clothes (I dig her avengers leggings) and is obsessed with doing fanart for her favorite Youtube podcast Universe City. The idea that I might go down a grade because I physically could not find an explanation of a particular topic made me feel like stabbing myself.įrances is a British-Ethiopian bisexual girl who is always top of her class, head girl at school and puts up an introverted, boring facade for her classmates.
It made me remember parts of my own life that I had forgotten or haven’t thought about in a long time. How do you talk about a book that starts with this sentence in it’s first chapter? It’s such a realistic portrayal of the struggles of teenagers who are expected to make decisions that would affect their future for a long time while also trying to be good students, satisfy parents, make friends and party and be cool. I wonder – if nobody is listening to my voice, am I making any sound at all? TW: parental abuse, underlying theme of depression and suicide, threatening internet trolling