SuitabookMinority of one
B. A. Binns
- Reading
- Consider checking in before or after reading, especially if bereavement, suicide or relationship pressure may feel close to home. You could read alongside the young person and pause if they want to talk.
- Themes
- Friendship and belonging: Sheila and Neill are presented as outsiders whose friendship develops despite their different backgrounds. The book’s stance on this remains unclear.
- Family expectations and identity: Neill is gay; his former boyfriend is described as ending their relationship under parental pressure to go “straight”. The book’s stance on this remains unclear.
- Loss and making a future: Sheila’s father died by suicide; her mother is later found dead. Neill is described as struggling with the loss of his former boyfriend. The book’s stance on this remains unclear.
- Worth knowing
- The story includes a father’s suicide, a mother found dead, bereavement, an arrest, infidelity and pressure on a gay teenager’s former boyfriend to appear straight. Their detail and intensity are unclear.