Release (Release)

by Patrick Ness

[nannah]

I love Patrick Ness, which is why I checked this book out, despite not enjoying one of the books this one is inspired by (Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf)--and not being familiar with the other (Forever ... by Judy Blume). I definitely enjoyed this more than Mrs. Dalloway, but I think it might be one of my least favorite Ness novels.

Book content warnings:
sexual harassment
in-book homophobia
domestic abuse (emotional/manipulative)

Release takes place in a single day, probably one of the most emotionally challenging days of Adam Thorn's life. He's the (closeted) gay son of a conservative preacher in a small town ... kind of a nightmare. On top of that, he has to go to his ex's going-away party (who he's not completely over), later that night, fight with his feelings for his current boyfriend (is this real? or do I want to want to love him more than I actually love him? etc.), and deal with sexual harassment from his boss at work.

There's also a second story going on. A girl (who was murdered at the same lake Adam's ex's going-away party is taking place at) has been resurrected with the spirit of a non-specific deity called the Queen. The girl is on a journey to find her murderer and ... do something. But apparently disturbing the Queen can have disastrous consequences on the world.

If these stories sound a bit disjointed, they kind of read that way too. They eventually do come together at the end, but I'm still not sure what the Queen's presence really was or who she is or why she existed in the first place.

Adam's story, though, is beautiful. And incredibly relatable. Patrick Ness always has that way of writing stories that brings out a real, genuine voice, and it shines here too. I just wish there was more of it and less of the Queen business -- or maybe I just didn't understand it and where the two stories intersected.