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WORK TITLE: The Dangerous Art of Blending In
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://angelohome.com/
CITY: Los Angeles
STATE: CA
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
customerservice@angelohome.com
RESEARCHER NOTES:
| LC control no.: | no2018009411 |
|---|---|
| LCCN Permalink: | https://lccn.loc.gov/no2018009411 |
| HEADING: | Surmelis, Angelo |
| 000 | 00704nz a2200169n 450 |
| 001 | 10656678 |
| 005 | 20180124073052.0 |
| 008 | 180123n| azannaabn |n aaa c |
| 010 | __ |a no2018009411 |
| 035 | __ |a (OCoLC)oca11163552 |
| 040 | __ |a ICrlF |b eng |e rda |c ICrlF |
| 100 | 1_ |a Surmelis, Angelo |
| 370 | __ |e Greece |e Illinois |e Los Angeles (Calif.) |2 naf |
| 372 | __ |a Young adult fiction |a Design |2 lcsh |
| 374 | __ |a Designers |a Authors |2 lcdgt |
| 375 | __ |a Males |2 lcdgt |
| 670 | __ |a Surmelis, Angelo. The dangerous art of blending in, ©2018: |b title page (Angelo Surmelis) dust jacket (raised in Greece and immigrated to Illinois at age five; lives in Los Angeles; designer; has been featured on television; his first novel) |
PERSONAL
Male.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Home designer and author.
Has made television appearances on Tyra, the Today Show, Lifetime, CNN, HGTV, Style, and TLC.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
On his personal website, Angelo Surmelis stated that he held an interest in design from the time he was a small child. He has now built that interest into a full-fledged career, helping others to design their homes and making appearances on such television networks as CNN, HGTV, and TLC.
The Dangerous Art of Blending In, Surmelis’s first novel, is informed by some of the more personal facets of Surmelis’s life—particularly his earlier years. The novel stars a boy by the name of Evangellos Panos, also known as “Evan.” Evan originally moved to the United States from the country of Greece as a young child, and his traditional family may threaten to unravel him. Evan’s mother is extremely strict and continually dissatisfied with Evan’s attempts to satisfy her demands. Their main point of conflict stems from Evan’s sexuality; he is gay, and his mother interprets this fact as a sinful thing, worthy of incessant abuse and prayer in an attempt to “cure” him. Evan soon finds that his only means of “escape” are to simply give in to how he is “supposed” to act, regardless of what he may actually want out of life. However, everything changes for Evan once he realizes he’s developing feelings for another boy, Henry, who happens to be Evan’s closest friend. All the while, Evan finds himself struggling to survive as the abuse from his mother grows continually worse. With nowhere to turn, Evan must seek out some modicum of safety before it is too late.
One Kirkus Reviews contributor called the book “[a]nother heartbreaking novel that pits religion and sexuality against each other, but with an important, culturally specific perspective.” In an issue of Voice of Youth Advocates, Kristy Rademacher commented: “The love story between the boys is sweet, the one bright spot in a lot of darkness.” In an issue of Publishers Weekly, one reviewer felt that “readers will yearn for Evan to achieve the freedom, happiness, and love he deeply desires.” Booklist contributor Maggie Reagan expressed that the book is “[a] powerful read for anyone.” Kathryn Kania, writing in School Library Journal, remarked: “It is a beautifully crafted story with a realistic yet satisfying conclusion.” On the Reader blog, Angela Oliver remarked: “I know that you will yearn for Evan to make his stand against his mother, to finally say ‘Enough’.” She added: “you will love the touching moments between him and Henry.” She concluded: “You won’t want to put this down until you’ve turned that last page.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, October 15, 2017, Maggie Reagan, review of The Dangerous Art of Blending In, p. 48.
Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2017, review of The Dangerous Art of Blending In.
Publishers Weekly, November 6, 2017, review of The Dangerous Art of Blending In, p. 82.
School Library Journal, November, 2017, Kathryn Kania, review of The Dangerous Art of Blending In, p. 93.
Voice of Youth Advocates, October, 2017, Kristy Rademacher, review of The Dangerous Art of Blending In, p. 66.
ONLINE
American Booksellers Association, http://www.bookweb.org/ (January 30, 2018), Christie Olson Day, “An Indies Introduce Q&A With Angelo Surmelis,” author interview.
angelo:HOME, https://angelohome.com (April 30, 2018), author profile.
Harper Collins, https://www.harpercollins.com/ (April 30, 2018), author profile.
Reader, https://booksellersnz.wordpress.com/ (February 19, 2018), Angela Oliver, review of The Dangerous Art of Blending In.
Teen Librarian Toolbox, http://www.teenlibrariantoolbox.com/ (January 30, 2018), Amanda MacGregor, review of The Dangerous Art of Blending In.
Angelo Surmelis
Let’s just get this out right at the beginning…. I LOVE all things HOME. I have since I was a kid. At five, I started dragging furniture around my parent’s small Chicago apartment in order to change things up… since leaning and pushing on the walls didn’t seem to work. At nine, I was using my paper-route money to buy wallpaper, molding and a saw. That later would become a chair rail and duck wallpaper in my bedroom. Don’t ask. It was my country-kitchen phase — in my bedroom! A design geek was born.
It’s safe to say that I have never stopped designing, building, wallpapering and all other sorts of home doings since. I truly believe that the way you feel about your home and your space can change your life! I’ve seen it happen to countless families across the country and I’ve seen it in my own life.
Along the way in my world of design, a friend in the TV world suggested I do a show. I resisted for about two years until he and his wife wore me down. Since then, I’ve done more than 10 series and specials on networks like TLC, LIFETIME, STYLE & HGTV… and have appeared on The TODAY Show, CNN, TYRA and countless other morning shows.
All of this has been with the idea of helping people redefine their lives through design… without spending a fortune. It is one of my favorite things to do! There is power in the way you live.
Creating angelo:HOME has been a dream of mine since the wall-leaning days. It combines everything I love and what I am privileged to do. The goal is simple: Everyone can have style (and for less)!
It’s about having affordable, fun and easy-to-do things… good stuff that you not only want, but also can actually afford.
Growing up, my family had very little… and designing our home was not at the top of the grocery list. I wanted to get into design to help people realize their own dream homes without sacrificing anything else. Making your space the best it can be should never feel overwhelming or like it’s a luxury.
The angelo:HOME collection of stylish and affordable furniture is committed to quality, value and ease. From the handcrafted details to the no-fuss assembly (many times none needed at all) to the high-end looks at amazingly affordable prices, angelo:HOME has been designed to make putting your home together effortless and full of style. I want to help you realize your dreams however you want to live.
Also, wallpaper has made a BIG comeback. I should have kept that extra roll of mallard ducks!
Back to the top
Angelo Surmelis was raised in Greece until he immigrated to Illinois at the age of five. He currently lives in Los Angeles. An award-winning designer, Surmelis has been featured on over fifty television shows, including the Today show and Extra, as well as in magazines such as InStyle, TV Guide, and Entertainment Weekly. He has worked as a host on networks like HGTV and TLC. He can be found online at www.angelohome.com.
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Surmelis, Angelo: THE
DANGEROUS ART OF BLENDING
IN
Kirkus Reviews.
(Oct. 15, 2017): From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Surmelis, Angelo THE DANGEROUS ART OF BLENDING IN Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins (Children's Fiction) $17.99 1, 30 ISBN: 978-0-06-265900-2
Mother really doesn't know best in this tale of a closeted gay teen from a devout Christian household.
Seventeen-year-old Evan Panos excels at conformity. His peers might notice him more if they knew his secret: during summer Bible camp, Evan kissed a boy for the first time. Evan's strict mother ensures that this "evil" secret stays obscured with prayer and physical and emotional abuse. Through art, secret trips to the nearby monastery, and one-on-ones with his dad at Dunkin' Donuts, Evan finds pockets of safety. But as his romantic feelings for his best friend, Henry, blossom, the tension between Evan and his mother escalates. Readers will wonder if it really will get better but can rest assured that hope is on the horizon. Surmelis' own-voices debut wisely uses a first-person, present-tense voice to keep readers in the moment with Evan as he lives through his trauma. Though back story adds complexity to Evan's villainous mother, she still reads as two-dimensional. In a cast of majority white, Midwestern peers, Evan's immigrant Greek family is a welcome addition--both to the story and to realistic queer fiction for teens. Readers may need tissues (or doughnuts) to make it to the end.
Another heartbreaking novel that pits religion and sexuality against each other, but with an important, culturally specific perspective. (author's note, resources) (Fiction. 14-18)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Surmelis, Angelo: THE DANGEROUS ART OF BLENDING IN." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Oct.
2017. Book Review Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A509244054 /GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS&xid=70974d51. Accessed 20 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A509244054
3 of 8 3/19/18, 11:00 PM
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Surmelis, Angelo. The Dangerous Art
of Blending In
Kristy Rademacher
Voice of Youth Advocates.
40.4 (Oct. 2017): p66. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC http://www.voya.com
Full Text: 3Q * 3P * S
Surmelis, Angelo. The Dangerous Art of Blending In. Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, January 2018. 336p. $17.99. 978-0-06265900-2.
Evan is suffocating. His severe, strict Greek mother violently abuses him on a near-daily basis and nowhere feels safe. He has three tidy, separate lives: his Greek life, his home life, and his school life. As long as everything stays separate, he can deal. When he falls in love with his best friend Henry, a boy who already came out to his parents, Evan cannot keep his lives separate any longer. As the violence increases at home, he desperately searches for a place to be safe, to belong, and to be loved.
This is much less a coming-out story than one of surviving domestic abuse and terrible violence. Evan's mother appears to be mentally ill and the intensity of her hatred towards her only child borders on caricature. Evan's fear is palpable and readers may find the utter lack of support from the adults in his life to be somewhat unbelievable. Despite this suspension of disbelief and a too- tidy ending, the story should ring true about PTSD and surviving domestic abuse. The love story between the boys is sweet, the one bright spot in a lot of darkness. Purchase this where books like Robin Roe's A List of Cages (Disney, 2017/VOYA February 2017) or Kathleen Glasgow's Girl in Pieces (Penguin Random House, 2016/VOYA August 2016) are popular.--Kristy Rademacher.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Rademacher, Kristy. "Surmelis, Angelo. The Dangerous Art of Blending In." Voice of Youth
Advocates, Oct. 2017, p. 66. Book Review Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc /A511785054/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS&xid=92a25e55. Accessed 20 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A511785054
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The Dangerous Art of Blending In
Publishers Weekly.
264.45 (Nov. 6, 2017): p82+. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The Dangerous Art of Blending In
Angelo Surmelis. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99 (336p) ISBN 978-0-06-265900-2
High-school senior Evangellos "Evan" Panos, who emigrated to the U.S. from Greece at age four, lives in inner turmoil, keeping two secrets from his friends: he's gay (which he sort of wants to reveal) and he is being abused by his violent, obsessively religious mother (which he absolutely does not want known). Surmelis's debut novel delves deeply into Evan's raw torment as he struggles with wanting to be openly himself and holding onto his secrets. Suspense builds as Evan's inability to confront his strong attraction to his best friend Henry threatens that long relationship, and he grows increasingly unwilling to tolerate his volatile mother's physical and emotional cruelty (witnessed by his loving but passive father). Evan, a gifted artist, and his father are both highly credible characters, though his mother at times seems over the top (despite a revealing backstory), and Henry and his family are a little too good to be true. Several explosive scenes bring relief from the growing tension; readers will yearn for Evan to achieve the freedom, happiness, and love he deeply desires. Ages 13-up. Agent: Kerry Sparks, Levine GreenbergRostan. (Jan.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Dangerous Art of Blending In." Publishers Weekly, 6 Nov. 2017, p. 82+. Book Review Index
Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A514056682/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=00a35a1d. Accessed 20 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A514056682
5 of 8 3/19/18, 11:00 PM
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The Dangerous Art of Blending In
Maggie Reagan
Booklist.
114.4 (Oct. 15, 2017): p48. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text:
The Dangerous Art of Blending In. By Angelo Surmelis. Jan. 2018.336p. HarperCollins/Balzer+Bray, $17.99 (9780062659002); e-book, $17.99 (9780062659026). Gr. 9-12.
Evan Panos lives two lives: in one, he's a high-school senior, a talented artist, and the best friend and tennis partner of Henry Kimball. In the other, he's the son of two Greek immigrants, and while his mother's disappointment in and anger towards him often turns violent, his mild- mannered father avoids and deflects. In both lives, Evan struggles with his sexuality, fighting a maybe-reciprocated attraction to Henry and keeping the secret from his devoutly Christian mother. Afraid that someone will realize the extent of the abuse, Evan isolates himself and hides his art in a nearby monastery, endangering both his friendships and his chance at becoming a real artist. But everyone has a breaking point, and Evan is rapidly approaching his. This poignant, sometimes explosive debut was based in part on the author's life, and occasionally stilted dialogue and a few pacing issues don't keep it from ringing true. A powerful read for anyone, but for those living a double life like Evan's, it will be invaluable.--Maggie Reagan
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Reagan, Maggie. "The Dangerous Art of Blending In." Booklist, 15 Oct. 2017, p. 48. Book
Review Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A512776197/GPS?u=schlager& sid=GPS&xid=51ef96c4. Accessed 20 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A512776197
6 of 8 3/19/18, 11:00 PM
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SURMELIS, Angelo. The Dangerous
Art of Blending In
Kathryn Kania
School Library Journal.
63.11 (Nov. 2017): p93+. From Book Review Index Plus.
COPYRIGHT 2017 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
* SURMELIS, Angelo. The Dangerous Art of Blending In. 336p. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray. Jan. 2018. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780062659002.
Gr 10 Up-Evan Panos is living in an undeniably abusive home. Some of his earliest memories are of his mother's undying rage against him. His father keeps telling him that she'll get better, but what does his father ever do to stop it? The teen lives his life one day to the next, in silence, waiting for his 18th birthday. Until his best friend Henry becomes handsome over the summer. Until the boy Evan kissed at Bible Camp comes to visit. Evan can't keep his life carefully compartmentalized if everyone refuses to stay in their own place. In this heartrendingly realistic account of a boy just trying to cope, Surmelis gives readers a protagonist to truly cheer for. The afterword reveals that most of the abuse scenes were taken directly from the author's own life. But even without that knowledge, this story will leave teens feeling the roller coaster of ups and downs Evan goes through. It is a beautifully crafted story with a realistic yet satisfying conclusion. There is one plot point that doesn't get touched on again, where the statues in the abandoned monastery Evan escapes to are possibly being moved by someone, but that is the only true criticism found of an otherwise amazing book. VERDICT A must-purchase for all libraries.--Kathryn Kania, Pelham Public Library, NH
KEY: * Excellent in relation to other titles on the same subject or in the same genre | Tr Hardcover trade binding | lib. ed. Publisher's library binding | Board Board book | pap. Paperback | e eBook original | BL Bilingual | POP Popular Picks
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Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Kania, Kathryn. "SURMELIS, Angelo. The Dangerous Art of Blending In." School Library
Journal, Nov. 2017, p. 93+. Book Review Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc /A513759687/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS&xid=5c422fa9. Accessed 20 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A513759687
8 of 8 3/19/18, 11:00 PM
An Indies Introduce Q&A With Angelo Surmelis
Posted on Tuesday, Jan 30, 2018
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The Dangerous Art of Blending In by Angelo SurmelisAngelo Surmelis is the author of The Dangerous Art of Blending In (Balzer + Bray/HarperTeen), a Winter/Spring 2018 Indies Introduce debut title for young adults and a Winter Kids’ Indie Next List pick.
“Some writers manage to tell difficult stories with all the humor, joy, and romance of real life — John Green, Rainbow Rowell, and now Angelo Surmelis,” said Christie Olson Day of Gallery Bookshop & Bookwinkle’s Children’s Books in Mendocino, California, who served on the Indies Introduce panel that selected Surmelis’ debut. “The Dangerous Art of Blending In is a pleasure to read, even as it goes to dark places with Evan, a 17-year-old son of Greek immigrants whose everyday life is full of secrets, conflict, and fear. I missed the characters once it was over, and can’t wait to read what’s next from Surmelis.”
Angelo Surmelis was raised in Greece until he immigrated to Illinois at the age of five. He currently lives in Los Angeles. An award-winning designer, Surmelis has been featured on over 50 television shows, including the Today show and Extra, as well as in magazines such as InStyle, TV Guide, and Entertainment Weekly.
Here, Olson Day and Surmelis talk about his debut.
Christie Olson Day: In The Dangerous Art of Blending In, Evan Panos keeps secret journals, and goes to great lengths to hide them. Did you keep journals as a teen? If so, did it feel dangerous to you?
Angelo SurmelisAngelo Surmelis: I did keep journals as a teen and it felt incredibly dangerous. I was petrified that they would be found, and they were! By my mother, who didn’t read English so she had them translated by someone from our church. It resulted in me being exorcised by church members and my mother one day when I arrived home from school. It was a bit of an ambush and quite scary.
COD: What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
AS: My best friend is Jennifer Niven, author of All The Bright Places and Holding Up the Universe, and we always read each other’s work while in the midst of it. She’s an incredible sounding board as well as a fantastic person to brainstorm with in a BIG way. I can pitch unbridled creative ideas to her without any fear. Jennifer encourages me to go deeper, weirder, into more uncomfortable places. Also, her mom (Penelope Niven) was a brilliant author and like a mother to me. She was a study in discipline and grace — an incredible inspiration. And Kerry Kletter (The First Time She Drowned) is a great friend and very insightful on the whole business of writing.
COD: What did you edit out of this book?
AS: The first chapter of the book had initially started out with an exorcism, since that had happened to me in real life. My editor and I went back and forth on it. To her, it was reading as too over the top. Eventually, we decided to pull it back and reframe it as Evan coming to find his mom with her prayer group, which felt like a more gradual way into the story. While working on this book, we were often reminded that life can be stranger and more disturbing than fiction. And a story has to work on the page.
COD: What was your hardest scene to write?
AS: The scenes between Evan and his mom were definitely the hardest. I’m not ashamed to say that they were the scenes that made me ugly cry. Evan and his mom were taking me right back to my own childhood — forcing me to see things that I had tried so hard to ignore or excuse away. The scene that literally kept me walking away from my laptop, multiple times, was the very last physical confrontation between Evan and his mom. I was a mess.
COD: You’ve had a phenomenally successful career in home design and television. Did you always harbor dreams of writing novels?
AS: The very notion that I would write a novel was something I didn’t have the courage to dream about. At the most, I fantasized about writing a design book. Being where I am right now feels like the best fever dream ever. Having a book that I can hold in my hands — that I wrote — is the most thrilling, the scariest, and the most rewarding thing that has ever happened in my career thus far.
The Dangerous Art of Blending In by Angelo Surmelis (Balzer + Bray/HarperTeen, 9780062659002, Young Adult, $17.99) On Sale Date: 1/30/2018.
Learn more about the author at www.angelohome.com.
ABA member stores are invited to use this interview or any others in our series of Q&As with Indies Introduce debut authors in newsletters and social media and in online and in-store promotions. Please let us know if you do.
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Indies Introduce Interview
Book Review: The Dangerous Art of Blending In, by Angelo Surmelis
Posted on February 19, 2018
Available in bookshops nationwide.
cv_the_dangerous_art_of_blending_in.jpgAs painful as it is powerful, The Dangerous Art of Blending In is not a story to be read lightly. It is one that will reach deep within, and squeeze painful fingers around your heart, making you ache with sorrow for the protagonist Evan Panos, rage with anger at his mother, and slap his father until he does intervene. It is a story about struggling with identity in a world that doesn’t readily accept you, about struggling to live up to your parents’ expectations, even though your mother will never accept you, about learning how to fight just to be yourself. Thus it will almost certainly kindle the emotions of the modern-day teenager, who will be able to identify with some, if not all, of Evan’s struggles.
Evan Panos is still coming to terms with the fact that at summer camp he kissed a boy, and he liked it. He’s gay, but terrified of his mother. Strongly religious, with a troubled past of her own (which is, obviously, no excuse for how she treats her son), she bullies, belittles and outright abuses Evan. His father, also afraid of his wife, seeks to comfort Evan in small ways – such as stealing him away to treat him to early morning donuts – but does very little to stop the abuse, or to reveal it. Instead, Evan must hide it, shrouding his bruises and cuts with lies of bicycle accidents and general clumsiness.
His only way to live is to blend in, to remain invisible, but events will conspire against him. It begins with a growing attraction to his best friend, Henry. An attraction that Henry reciprocates. But as their relationship heats up, so does his mother’s abuse, and some of his fellow students are, likewise, less than accepting. Evan’s only escape now lies in casting off his camouflage, and finding his voice in a world where he has survived by avoiding attention at all costs.
For anyone struggling in similar situations, Evan’s tale will likely be a painful but inspirational read. The author, Angelo Surmelis, is an award-winning designer and TV host, and, judging by the author’s note, although this is not intended as an autobiography, he “gave” Evan his story.
So how much of it is fact and how much fiction? I cannot say for sure, but I know that you will yearn for Evan to make his stand against his mother, to finally say “Enough”. That you will love the touching moments between he and Henry. And that you won’t want to put this down until you’ve turned that last page.
Recommended for fans of John Green, Jennifer Niven (who inspired Surmelis to write the story), and Rainbow Rowell.
Reviewed by Angela Oliver
The Dangerous Art of Blending In
by Angelo Surmelis
Published by Penguin Random House
ISBN 9780143790150
This entry was posted in Book review, YA fiction and tagged Angela Oliver, angelo surmelis, LBQTIA+, Penguin Random HOuse Aus, sick lit, the dangerous art of blending in, trigger warning abuse by booksellersnz. Bookmark the permalink.
Book Review: The Dangerous Art of Blending In by Angelo Surmelis
January 30, 2018 by Amanda MacGregor Leave a Comment
Publisher’s description
A raw, powerful, but ultimately uplifting debut novel perfect for fans of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe from debut author Angelo Surmelis.
Seventeen-year-old Evan Panos doesn’t know where he fits in. His strict immigrant Greek mother refuses to see him as anything but a disappointment. His quiet, workaholic father is a staunch believer in avoiding any kind of conflict. And his best friend, Henry, has somehow become distractingly attractive over the summer.
Tired, isolated, scared—Evan finds that his only escape is to draw in an abandoned monastery that feels as lonely as he is. And yes, he kissed one guy over the summer. But it’s Henry who’s now proving to be irresistible. Henry, who suddenly seems interested in being more than friends. And it’s Henry who makes him believe that he deserves more than his mother’s harsh words and terrifying abuse.
But as things with Henry heat up, and his mother’s abuse escalates, Evan has to decide how to find his voice in a world where he has survived so long by being silent.
This is a powerful and revelatory coming-of-age novel based on the author’s own childhood, about a boy who learns to step into his light.
Amanda’s thoughts
dangerous artThis was a rough read. The abuse and homophobia are nonstop. Though this is absolutely a worthwhile read and is very well written, readers need to know going in that Evan suffers a lot at the hands of his peers and his own mother.
Illinois 17-year-old Evan Panos spends most of his life hiding and hoping to fly under the radar. His extremely abusive Greek mother has spent his whole life hurting him, telling him he’s ugly and a sinner, that she wishes he were gone, as she beats him. Though not out, his religious mother has lived in fear that Evan is gay (“deviant”), bringing in other devout members from their church to pray that he’s released from this “demon.” His father doesn’t agree with his wife’s tactics, but also doesn’t (generally) intervene. Evan’s cuts and bruises don’t go unnoticed, but he explains them away by telling people he’s just incredibly clumsy and falls a lot. But everything starts to change when Evan and his lifelong best friend, Henry, realize they’re falling for each other. Evan is so afraid to trust anyone, and even though Henry is his best friend, he has his reasons for being hesitant (reasons that go beyond what his mother will do to him if she finds out about any of this). Can Evan begin to reveal the many secret sides to his life, or will revealing those secrets be the thing that ends him?
Like I said, this is a hard read. Evan has virtually no support. Even as adults begin to figure out, or suspect, what has been happening to him, no one intervenes. His mother is unrelentingly abusive and all of the scenes of violence are right there on the page. To watch that, and to watch Evan try to explain it all away, is heartbreaking. His classmates constantly accuse him of being gay, hurling disgusting slurs around. What he has with Henry is lovely, if at times complicated, but the romance takes a backseat to the story of the abuse. Make sure readers who pick this up also realize there are plenty of books about happy, accepted, safe gay kids, too. The author includes a note at the end, talking about how the his own personal story mirrored Evan’s, and resources for help. A powerful and devastating read with some of the worst physical and emotional abuse I’ve ever seen in a YA book.
Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Edelweiss
ISBN-13: 9780062659002
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date: 01/30/20181