We waited nearly a year for Invisible Boys to hit the shelves. Holden Sheppard won the City of Fremantle Hungerford Award in 2018, and boy was it worth the wait to get our hooves on his debut novel!
This contemporary YA novel follows three teenage guys living in a small Western Australian town: Charlie the punk, Hammer the footy jock, and Zeke the over-achiever.
They have nothing in common, or do they? These three guys navigate living with secrets throughout year 11 at a Catholic school and face the trials of surviving in a small town.
Invisible Boys deals with sexuality and coming-of-age with a focus on the inner turmoil the characters experience based on their family and peers’ reactions to a scandal that highlights the town’s conservative beliefs. Through multiple narrators, readers gain insight on how one event can cause a chain of reactions, which leads to despair, denial, and death.
Since Invisible Boys is such a lambtastic read, and we don't want to spoil entire the story line for ewe, Lachie provides his top 5 reasons why EWE should read Invisible Boys.
- Invisible Boys is brilliantly and sensitively written
There is a compelling reason why Invisible Boys keeps winning accolades: Holden Sheppard can bloody write. You will laugh, you will cry, you may get angry, but once the ride is over you will take something away from the story. The evocative writing is the powerhouse behind this novel.
- The main characters are believable
It is difficult to choose a favourite character – readers will end up rooting for all of three of them as they grapple with their individual struggles. Place, culture, beliefs, tradition and family are inspected, dissected and critiqued. Stereotypes and reputation are examined. Each character comes from a different upbringing, which shapes how they handle their moratorium and potentially defines their future.
- The story covers important issues
Gender and sexuality are intrinsically linked with identity, and we all experience periods of identity formation during our lives. Invisible Boys illuminates how difficult it is for teenagers when they are considered different or outcasts, and how institutions like school and church can ignore some ‘sins’ yet condemn others with no regards for the consequences of people’s mental health. The main characters and their interactions with others offer readers many perspectives on gender, sexuality and identity.
- Your ideas about teenagers will be challenged
Invisible Boys challenges you to put aside any preconceptions and encourages you to emphasise with young people. While this is a YA novel, older readers will benefit from reflecting on their teenage years, how they interact with teenagers, and further understand why teenagers behave the way they do. YA readers may find the story helps them through difficult times or assists them support friends who encounter similar situations to what the characters in Invisible Boys endure.
- Invisible Boys is timely and heart breaking
Holden has done what so many people advise: Write what you want to read.
Or more specifically, write the book missing from your shelf. It is openly acknowledged that Holden poured his soul into this novel and how it is influenced by his own experiences growing up gay in a small town. Invisible Boys has achieved where many previous YA novels struggled: Holden shows readers what life is like for teenagers who do not conform with society's expectations, not out of choice but because of who they are and what they cannot change about themselves.
Don’t be surprised if Invisible Boys collects more accolades before Holden's next book is published. This is a book that older teenagers need to read, and adults interacting with teenagers should probably pay heed.
The worst bit about the book? Hammer is a passionate Eagles supporter.
Thanks for including detail that Holden.
Rating: Five wags of a lamb’s tail
Invisible Boys is available now! Published by Fremantle Press
Recommended for 16 years+
The book contains sexual behaviour, underage drinking, mentions drugs, and suicide.
Have you read Invisible Boys? Let Lachie and Layla know what you think!
