Author: David Levithan
Source: Borrowed from the library
Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Goodreads Summary:
New York Times bestselling author David Levithan tells the based-on-true-events story of Harry and Craig, two 17-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record—all of which is narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS.
While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teen boys dealing with languishing long-term relationships, coming out, navigating gender identity, and falling deeper into the digital rabbit hole of gay hookup sites—all while the kissing former couple tries to figure out their own feelings for each other".
This is the fourth book I have read by David Levithan and this one did not disappoint. This is so far my favorite book by him with The Lover's Dictionary as a close second.
The story begins with a brief history of a unknown narrator that we later find out is the story of other men throughout history who were gay and the history of how they were treated. It is a voice that is united and is the narrator of the story of Harry and Craig and how they are planning to break the world record for the longest kiss, it is also the story of Peter and Neil and their relationship. The narrator also follows Avery and Ryan as they meet and finally of Cooper who feels alone and who does not have the support of his family.
The characters start off leading their separate lives but in the end, Harry and Craig's kiss bring them together. I liked the story of Harry and Craig the most mainly because they were based of the true story of a two college students who kissed for thirty-two hours, thirty minutes and forty- seven seconds and broke the Guinness World Records for the longest continuous kiss. I loved how the story of Harry and Craig tied everyone together and brought out the best and worst in people. Peter and Neil are a couple who is not hiding but Neil's family is not exactly open about him being gay. They acknowledge he is but they do not talk about it. Ryan has a supportive aunt who loves him unconditionally and amazing friends who love and support him but he is still unhappy and feels angry but when he meets Avery who makes Ryan feel not so angry and then there is Cooper. He feels like he is alone and his family does not accept him so he runs away and tries to find a way to end the pain and sadness he feels.
This book was very touching and incredibly well written. I enjoyed how the author showed all sides of the characters stories from the families to friends and people who choose to judge people based on sexual preference. I felt like the author captured the story well. I really enjoyed this book. It is a pretty fast read. The stories of each character are switched every few pages and the way it was set up really worked for this story. I gave this a 4/5.
No comments:
Post a Comment