These links show the original reading lists. Inclusion is not a guarantee of suitability for your child.
William Hussey - Author
This is a politically charged LGBTQ+ dystopia where romance develops amid authoritarian control and criminalisation. Its strongest offering is a tense exploration of how quickly rights, safety and personal freedom can be taken away.
The Protectorate regulates what people eat, wear, say, read, think and whom they love, promising safety in exchange for obedience.CriticalCritical: the book challenges or disapproves of this theme.Critical: the book challenges or disapproves of this theme.
How the book presents it: The premise frames enforced conformity and the destruction of rights as a warning about complacency and political regression.
Talk about: What would count as real safety in this society, and what freedoms are concealed by its promise of order?
LGBTQ+ love under persecution
Gabe, who is gay, falls in love with Eric while being gay is illegal; Eric is the son of an official involved in hunting gay people.FavourableFavourable: the book presents this theme approvingly or positively.Favourable: the book presents this theme approvingly or positively.
How the book presents it: The book presents this favourably.
Talk about: How does secrecy affect whether Gabe and Eric can trust one another and imagine a future together?
Stories as a glimpse of freedom
Gabe, Eric and their friends discover banned LGBTQ+ films from the present day, which show them a life that could exist in a freer society.FavourableFavourable: the book presents this theme approvingly or positively.Favourable: the book presents this theme approvingly or positively.
How the book presents it: The book presents this favourably.
Talk about: What do the films teach the characters about lives they have been told are impossible?
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Why It May Be Worth Reading
It may prompt thoughtful discussion about LGBTQ+ rights, political complacency, propaganda, secrecy and resistance. The banned films also create a route into considering how stories preserve possibilities when public freedoms disappear.
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What Deserves Attention
Read alongside time to pause: the premise includes state persecution, homophobic language, self-harm, references to suicide and scenes of violence. The emotional effect may be intense, particularly around criminalisation and threatened relationships.
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A Conversation Worth Having
How does the story distinguish personal safety from genuine freedom, and what might Gabe and Eric’s secrecy reveal about trust when laws, family roles and public language all become threatening?
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Reading Approach
Consider reading in shorter sections and checking in after scenes involving persecution, self-harm, suicide references or violence. Discuss the political ideas separately from the suspense so reactions have room to settle.
Confidence & Basis
Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.
What remains unconfirmed
Freedom versus imposed safety: Some details of this treatment remain unclear.
LGBTQ+ love under persecution: The ending and the relationship’s eventual outcome remain unclear.
Stories as a glimpse of freedom: Some details of this treatment remain unclear.
Suitabook