Really loved this reflection—it’s rare to find a review that so fully understands the soul of a novel. Your point about directionless young men needing alternative narratives was spot on.
Lovely. I read your 'Big T', Shull's 'Why Teach' and Troy Ford's 'Lamb' all hot on the heels of each other. (Thanks Substack for fiction and ohmygodsorry I still didn't write the sodding long-promised mini reaction-review).
I recommend all three for how they handle that set of challenges that face young men entering adulthood.
Remember, folks, *masculinity is the gender position that is in perpetual crisis*. I'll spare you the 10k academic essay about masculinity theories and why that is - just take it from an anthropologist that this is so. Not a post-industrial crisis; not a post-feminism crisis: to enter the space of adult masculinity is, fundamentally, to enter a space of crisis.
Really loved this reflection—it’s rare to find a review that so fully understands the soul of a novel. Your point about directionless young men needing alternative narratives was spot on.
Thanks Allen. It's a subject I feel passionate about.
Lovely. I read your 'Big T', Shull's 'Why Teach' and Troy Ford's 'Lamb' all hot on the heels of each other. (Thanks Substack for fiction and ohmygodsorry I still didn't write the sodding long-promised mini reaction-review).
I recommend all three for how they handle that set of challenges that face young men entering adulthood.
Remember, folks, *masculinity is the gender position that is in perpetual crisis*. I'll spare you the 10k academic essay about masculinity theories and why that is - just take it from an anthropologist that this is so. Not a post-industrial crisis; not a post-feminism crisis: to enter the space of adult masculinity is, fundamentally, to enter a space of crisis.
thank you for reading big T Caroline. this is fascinating insight; I'm glad you took that from it!
Convinced me to grab one!
Oh I gotta read this one, enjoyed the deep reflection. Might help me figure out why I keep coming back to teaching (even not as a youth or man).
he really gets into the broken education system, i think you’ll enjoy
You’ve made the protagonist sound very likeable, I must say. Like an antidote to reading too much LinkedIn.