Kamikaze Boys edition by Jay Bell Literature Fiction eBooks
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Kamikaze Boys edition by Jay Bell Literature Fiction eBooks
It's Connor and David against the world - and I suppose it's too "advanced" for teenagers to read, but it sure captures the way teenagers think and how they see the world. I'd let my teenagers read this. Of course, they'd never talk to me about it afterwards...The jock and the nerd - a classic set up - but it doesn't play out the way you expect, because whether they get together or not is beside the point. Although the build-up is very nicely done, it's how they fight to stay a couple in the face of a world that either doesn't care or disapproves that drives the story. The fact that they're gay isn't the main point either - with one crucial exception, it's more their youth and supposed inexperience that causes their troubles.
I love YA-ish books where the parents are important players, and Jay Bell delivers here. I love it even more that the parents are allowed to surprise us (and their children).
For a romance, it's surprisingly unsentimental. There's plenty of teen anger in this - and that's just about right.
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Kamikaze Boys edition by Jay Bell Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
Okay. I know those who read book reviews hear this a lot but I REALLY did stay up until 4am this morning in order to finish KAMIKAZE BOYS. This wonderful love story was worth every lost minute of sleep.
Accomplished storyteller that he is, Jay Bell has taken many of the TIME-TESTED clichés of the coming of age/first love gay narrative dysfunctional parents, middle-class school, self-loathing school bully, smooth-talking psychologist, adoring little brother, sassy big sister, nerdy best friend and - of course - our two heroes, the honor-roll loner David along with Connor, the intimidating older student with that mysterious scar on his face; Jay has taken these elements and totally "un-clichéd" them as he has woven them into a touching and truly realistic high school gay romance which begins early on in the novel when Connor unexpectedly rescues David from the school bully.
(Thankfully, Jay advances this love story WITHOUT any of the more recent and tiresome gay romance clichés about which I have complained in many a review truncated, totally unrealistic pillow talk - "You! Bed! Now!" - being the most egregious of them).
KAMIKAZE BOYS isn't as deep nor as multi-layered as the author's earlier SOMETHING ABOUT SUMMER. And that's okay; frankly I was glad that I, in order to let my heart rate get back to normal, didn't have to momentarily put the book down quite so many times as I did with his previous novel.
Sure, there were some scary moments toward the end of the book when the two guys were forcibly separated from one another in seemingly cruel ways. But, unlike the main characters in a multi-volume gay boy melodrama I've been forced to slowly read in installments over the last two years, Connor and David kept their heads and - trusting their instincts - never really doubted each other while they were kept apart. Like all teens, they do some stupid things. But they don't continue doing the same stupid things over and over and over again. I liked that a lot.
This is NOT a "coming out" story. Both Connor and David are already "out" in varying degrees to family and to the very few friends they have. But it does show them both "coming of age" in a powerful and loving way as they team up to "fight" (sometimes literally) those who, for selfish reasons or otherwise, would force the boys to deny the very real feelings they have towards one another.
SOMETHING LIKE SUMMER made Jay Bell an important writer in this genré - KAMIKAZE BOYS will only add to his well deserved reputation.
And, wow! Another great cover from Jay Bell's "in house" artist, Andreas!
"David and Connor conquer America. Are you ready for this?"
Jay Bell's books came to my attention when I self-published my own fourth novel. I kept seeing his books at the top of sales rankings here on , and thought, "What's all the fuss?"
Now I know. Meeting him in person may have given me an additional bias, but on its own, his latest ranks among the best of new realistic young adult novels.
Of course, the YA category may be limiting. Are such books supposed to be squeaky clean, offer a life lesson, and be palatable for a PG-rated audience? 'Kamikaze Boys' offers life lessons, but with a story that's sexy and sexual without being porny. It also (spoiler alert!) shifts into a surprisingly realistic depiction of the criminal justice system and youth psychiatric wards.
The romance builds between David, a frequently bullied out gay teenager, and Connor, who's reclusive, misunderstood, much larger and slightly older. After Connor intercedes when David is attacked by a gang of bullies led by the monstrous Chuck, an unlikely friendship quickly becomes more intimate.
Class issues play into their story as well, as Connor endures an awful job and a manipulative boss at a local McDonald's, which hampers their time together. While I cringed at the descriptions of the escalating violence in this story, sadly, it realistically depicts the struggle young gay men endure. With clean prose and empathetic characters, Bell has shared yet another outstanding story.
It's been interesting watching Jay Bell's writing career take off. I was first introduced to his work when Brent Hartinger reviewed his very first book "The Cat in the Cradle," and I've kept an eye on what he's been doing ever since. Bell has been most prolific, and I've enjoyed everything that he's written so far (whether it be fantasy or more realistic YA lit), to one degree or another.
"Something Like Summer" has been Jay's most popular book up to this point, but I think I actually prefer "Kamikaze Boys" over that one. Interesting, that this book covers many of the same themes as John Goode's "End of the Innocence" (which I had recently mentioned here), but it has a completely different feel... I found both Conner and David to be sympathetic and quite likable characters, but it's true enough that they make a couple of very poor choices throughout the course of the novel! Oh, the reader can completely relate to their actions, but the characters do end up paying the price for their behavior. (Though rest assured---I thought the ending was splendid.)
There's plenty of drama here to draw the reader into the story, and I think most of you would enjoy it. Recommended.
It's Connor and David against the world - and I suppose it's too "advanced" for teenagers to read, but it sure captures the way teenagers think and how they see the world. I'd let my teenagers read this. Of course, they'd never talk to me about it afterwards...
The jock and the nerd - a classic set up - but it doesn't play out the way you expect, because whether they get together or not is beside the point. Although the build-up is very nicely done, it's how they fight to stay a couple in the face of a world that either doesn't care or disapproves that drives the story. The fact that they're gay isn't the main point either - with one crucial exception, it's more their youth and supposed inexperience that causes their troubles.
I love YA-ish books where the parents are important players, and Jay Bell delivers here. I love it even more that the parents are allowed to surprise us (and their children).
For a romance, it's surprisingly unsentimental. There's plenty of teen anger in this - and that's just about right.
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