High school junior
Berlin Webber is about to reap the fruits of his hard work and land a
football scholarship—if he can keep his sexuality a secret from his best
friend, Trent, and their homophobic coach. Then Hiroku Hayashi swerves
into the high school parking lot on his tricked-out motorcycle like some
sexy comic book villain, and Berlin knows he doesn’t stand a chance. Hiroku is fleeing his sophisticated urban scene to recover from drug addiction and an abusive relationship when he arrives in Berlin’s small Texas ranch town. Initially sarcastic and aloof, Hiroku finds in Berlin a steady, supportive friend who soon becomes more. As Hiroku and Berlin’s romance blossoms, they take greater risks to be together. But when a horrific act of violence tears them apart, they both must look bigotry in the face. While Berlin has always turned to his faith for strength, Hiroku dives into increasingly dangerous ways of coping, pushing them in opposite directions just when they need each other most.
Two very different young men search for the bravery to be true to themselves, the courage to heal, and the strength to go on when things seem darkest. But is it enough to bring them back together?
Comment: I decided to get this book after reading a recommendation somewhere. I think what made me more interested in reading this was the fact it would present opposites attract and I tend to enjoy stories where the protagonists find common ground and fall in love.
In this YA novel - I know I always say i prefer to avoid it but since it's m/m I don't dislike reading these as much because usually they present content I tend to enjoy reading about, unlike the usual m/f ones - we meet Berlin Webber, a junior at his school and a part of the football team. He also thinks he might be gay but has kept it a secret all his life because he knows his small Texas town isn't the most accepting and his future might be in a sports' scholarship, so he endures the homophobia and the lying.
Things change when the new guy in school arrives in his motorcycle, with a seriously stay-out attitude, all dressed in black and with eyeliner. Berlin is hooked from day one but he is still trying to find the courage to even think about talking to the guy.
Hiroku is a transfer from bigger city Austin and he has a past he would like to forget but it seems he can't ignore his mistakes. Berlin seems the complete opposite of what he has known but will he be able to accept the guy's friendship an interest? How will they react if they are found out to be more than that?
This is primarily labeled a romance but I think that can be a little limitative and reductive because this is certainly not only focused on how two guys become more than friends and the emotions evoked by this story aren't as simple as a classic romance plot. I'm actually impressed with the level of emotion this caused me even if from my personal POV I'd have preferred the characters to be more fantasy-like and have an easier path in what they faced.
Basically we have the usual coming of age tale with one of the characters facing his own sexuality and ehat it means for him, for those he deals with in a daily basis and how that can affect his future. He's also religious to some extend.
I liked Berlin wasn't one of those characters whose biggest fear is not allowing himself to accept he is gay but mostly how that can affect his friendships and the good feelings he has from belonging in a community which he feels a strong part of. I think his ideas were presented in a very realistic way, without drama.
I also think he clearly symbolizes the naivete of those who can't just hate or judge others. Berlin is a good guy, he is very aware of what is good and bad and his actions come from his heart and his sense of justice.
As his opposite we have Hiroku, another young man who has had a totally different life experience, especially when it comes to how he deals with his problems. We are told he suffered abuse from his first boyfriend and how that meant drugs and physical abuse and how he struggled to cope not only with what that meant for his state of mind but also to the difficult aspect of how he felt while with his ex, a strange mix of dedication and fear which has caused him to change and to not know himself anymore. We know he is in therapy and has a lot on his mind and he is the character we all know to exist but wish could simply turn away or ignore what happened but that isn't realistic.
His struggles with addiction, with his low self esteem and his loneliness in a place he doesn't feel welcomed in are all very strongly depicted.
The romance between these two different people shouldn't be easy because there's a lot that should put them apart and attraction isn't a strong enough base to support adversity and issues. I liked the simplicity of how they start talking, of how they start liking each other and even, more or less, falling in love. In my POV, there's a certain sweetness to how their relationship starts, develops and the promise of what it can be when I turned the last page.
However, the path they go through is very difficult to accept. This was not the heaviest nor the toughest story I've read regarding abuse and bigotry but I think the message was well made. People are always going to have stupid opinions and will always act wrong. I got emotional here and there because it was obvious how much hurt they were going through and it's even more emotional to imagine real people suffer like this.
This book is told by both main characters, in alternate chapters. I liked it because it was poignant and easy to follow but it's not the kind to re-read because it also invokes many sad feelings. The HFN is adequate considering the age of the characters but yes, it isn't as satisfying as I hoped. Some issues were also...I guess, a little too strongly presented and in parts maybe it didn't have to be. Some scenes felt really avoidable too.
I also liked the personal note the author left in the end, it was interesting to have her own experience.
I'd recommend this story but bearing in mind it's not a cookie cutter one.
Grade: 8/10
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