Book 89 - Rush Towards Risk

Title: Swimming in the Monsoon Sea Author: Shyam Selvadurai Genre: YA coming-of-age gay fiction

I had a tough time getting into this book. That might be my own fault - I'm not the intended audience. It's a YA book, so the writing is very simplistic and can be overly descriptive to the point of monotony in some scenes. For example, the author goes into minute detail of the location of each room in the house. I've said it once and I'll say it again - show don't tell.

Other than that, the confusion the main character feels, the very bewilderment at his own emotions - the cruel actions towards his sisters, the rushes of risky behaviour - ring especially true for adolescent behaviour. In that way, Selvadurai gets it, what it is to be a teenager and almost terrified of the thing you are becoming, the thing that has to exist in adult world where things are sharp and consequences last.

Rating: 👕👕/5