The Dangerous Art of Blending In by Angelo Surmelis

Evans mother, by societal standards, is not someone capable of physical abuse to a young man, yet Surmelis talented writing managed to make me, personally, terrified every time she made an appearance. Many of the main characters we meet were so exquisitely written and developed that I personally couldn’t help being sucked into the story. One thing I most definitely must commend is the beautifully written characters. While some readers seemed to find this relationship and their reliance on each other off putting, I personally enjoyed watching these two character explore themselves and each other. The narrative explores Evan increasing attraction to his lifelong best friend Henry and as romance between the two develops, Evans personal barriers and secrets come crashing down. The novel has very strong religious tones, Evans mother using it as an explanation for her behaviour, shedding a very dark light on religion abuse and its traumatic effects. This story follows 18-year-old Evan as he completes his final year of high school while struggling with his physically and emotionally abusive mother as well as his sexuality. Yet this was a very brutal depiction of family abuse, internalised struggling and societal expectations.Īlthough this is not to say the novel wasn’t enjoyable, in fact, it may very well be one of my favourite novels of the year, but I felt it was essential to point out that this was not the youthful light read I had been expecting. I expected a meaningful yet creative, quirky but funny coming of age novel – very John Green style. Yes, the basic cores of the story are there in its description, yet what the blurb lacks to inform its readers on it the heavy undertones, over-arching themes and overall, heartbreaking narrative. I’d personally been hearing noise of this novel, particularly from fans on Jennifer Niven, so I was very much anticipating getting my hands on it.īut I must warn you, this novel, in my opinion, was very misleading. The novel has received outstanding reviews, with four out of five stars on Goodreads and 5/5 on Common Sense Media quickly becoming one of the most popular YA novels of 2018, even with a release date in late January. At its very core, this novel explores family dynamics in relation to religion, homophobia and abuse while giving readers a taste of young love in its most hopeful form.

'Maybe the only real ugliness is what lives inside some people' - Angelo Surmelis, The Dangerous Art of Blending inĪngelo Surmelis’ debut novel, The Dangerous Art of Blending In, is an honest and raw reflection of exposing yourself to the world without the support of those who should love you most.

The Dangerous Art of Blending In by Angelo Surmelis