Citation
Ness, P. (2017). Release. New York, NY: HarperTeen.
Description
Inspired by Judy Blume’s Forever and Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, this novel that Andrew Smith calls “beautiful, enchanting, [and] exquisitely written” is a new classic about teenage relationships, self-acceptance—and what happens when the walls we build start coming down. A Kirkus Best Book of 2017!
Adam Thorn doesn’t know it yet, but today will change his life.
Between his religious family, a deeply unpleasant ultimatum from his boss, and his own unrequited love for his sort-of ex, Enzo, it seems as though Adam’s life is falling apart. At least he has two people to keep him sane: his new boyfriend (he does love Linus, doesn’t he?) and his best friend, Angela.
Adam Thorn doesn’t know it yet, but today will change his life.
Between his religious family, a deeply unpleasant ultimatum from his boss, and his own unrequited love for his sort-of ex, Enzo, it seems as though Adam’s life is falling apart. At least he has two people to keep him sane: his new boyfriend (he does love Linus, doesn’t he?) and his best friend, Angela.
Coming of Age, Fantasy
HarperTeen. (n.d.). Release details. Retrieved from https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062403193/release
Scholarly Review
I was tempted to leave my review at 'it's Patrick Ness--he never writes the same book twice--you're going to want to read this'. But actually that wouldn't be doing this beautiful, beautiful book justice.
Taking its literary inspiration from Woolf's Mrs Dalloway with a healthy dose of Judy Blume's educative Forever thrown into the mix, this is the story of Adam Thorn. Trapped in rural small town America, son of preacher parents and weighed down by their expectations, the novel's title looms large over the narrative. On the Saturday during which the book's action takes place, Adam crosses paths with friends, family and lovers as well as enduring a skin crawling encounter with his employer; it brings revelations, goodbyes and the tantalising possibility that Adam's world might be reshaped by the end of it.
Interwoven with Adam's story is the otherworldly tale of a murdered girl and a mythical Queen who move through our reality seeking answers, revenge and their own particular brand of 'release'. If this sounds off-putting, do not fear -this is Patrick Ness remember: it just works. Though the connection between Adam and the Queen is glancing, the two narratives accelerate in harmony, propelling one another towards the day's final denouement. As Adam navigates the real world, the parallel narrative hints to the extraordinary terror and beauty which might underlie the everyday and between the two we see the miraculous--the world stopping, world just beginning--possibilities and hardships of being a teen. In the messy confusion of relationships, love, loss, family and friendships nothing is trivialised, rather it is marvelled at. As with all Patrick Ness's books it's devastating, it's optimistic but is above all it's truthful. You are going to want to read this.
Taking its literary inspiration from Woolf's Mrs Dalloway with a healthy dose of Judy Blume's educative Forever thrown into the mix, this is the story of Adam Thorn. Trapped in rural small town America, son of preacher parents and weighed down by their expectations, the novel's title looms large over the narrative. On the Saturday during which the book's action takes place, Adam crosses paths with friends, family and lovers as well as enduring a skin crawling encounter with his employer; it brings revelations, goodbyes and the tantalising possibility that Adam's world might be reshaped by the end of it.
Interwoven with Adam's story is the otherworldly tale of a murdered girl and a mythical Queen who move through our reality seeking answers, revenge and their own particular brand of 'release'. If this sounds off-putting, do not fear -this is Patrick Ness remember: it just works. Though the connection between Adam and the Queen is glancing, the two narratives accelerate in harmony, propelling one another towards the day's final denouement. As Adam navigates the real world, the parallel narrative hints to the extraordinary terror and beauty which might underlie the everyday and between the two we see the miraculous--the world stopping, world just beginning--possibilities and hardships of being a teen. In the messy confusion of relationships, love, loss, family and friendships nothing is trivialised, rather it is marvelled at. As with all Patrick Ness's books it's devastating, it's optimistic but is above all it's truthful. You are going to want to read this.
Ryder, L. (2017, Autumn). [Review of the book Release by Patrick Ness]. School Librarian, 65(3), 190. Retrieved March 28, 2018 from Book Review Index. http://link.galegroup.com.ezproxy.uky.edu/apps/doc/A506957524/BRIP?u=uky_main&sid=BRIP&xid=ac835d88
My Analysis
Release follows the story of Adam Thorn, a teenager in a small town in Washington who is nursing a broken heart. His parents are evangelical Christians, and his father is a preacher. Adam is also gay, but hasn’t come out to his family, so he is constantly switching between hiding his true self from his family and being his true self with his friends. One day Adam seems to go through one issue to another, including sexual harassment from a boss, huge news from his soon-to-be-a-preacher brother, and the loss that comes with dear friends moving away. Intertwined with Adam’s story in the novel is a parallel story of a girl who was murdered and is now looking for answers.
I can see what Patrick Ness was aiming for by intertwining the story of Adam and the story of the girl because their feelings of not belonging and not being worthy are similar; however, I don’t think he quite pulled it off. I was really drawn into the story of Adam, and I could relate to many of his feelings and experiences, I found the story of the girl pretty boring and rushed through those so I could get back to Adam. Despite this, I would still recommend this book because Adam’s story is so, so good. The writing is well done and flows easily.
Hashtags
#selfacceptance
#comingout
#parallelworlds
#findyourvoice
Usage
I would like to use this as a book club book for Pride week or in tandem with another LGBTQ event. I think many readers will relate to Adam, and the book also touches on issues LGBTQ people face on a daily basis. By using this book, my goal would be to raise awareness as well as use the book for a focused discussion.
Awards
None
Censorship
None
References
HarperTeen. (n.d.). Release details. Retrieved from https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062403193/release
Ryder, L. (2017, Autumn). [Review of the book Release by Patrick Ness]. School Librarian, 65(3), 190. Retrieved March 28, 2018 from Book Review Index.
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