SuitabookHell Followed With Us
Andrew Joseph White
- Reading
- Read the opening warnings first, then agree how to pause if the graphic horror or abuse becomes overwhelming. Afterward, discuss both the intensity of the imagery and the communities the novel builds.
- Themes
- Queer survival and community: Benji, a transgender teenager, is sheltered by queer teenagers at an LGBTQ+ centre after fleeing the cult that raised him. The premise places queer community and perseverance at the centre, but the full arc and final evaluation are not established.
- Religious power and oppression: A fundamentalist sect raised Benji and unleashed the catastrophe; warnings identify transphobia and domestic and religious abuse. The sect is presented as destructive and threatening, while the depth and complexity of the novel’s critique are not fully clear.
- Body, illness and transformation: Benji carries a bioweapon that is described as mutating him into a monster capable of destroying humanity. The book leaves its stance open to more than one reading.
- Worth knowing
- Pay particular attention to the opening warning and the reader’s response to graphic material. A parent might also check whether themes of religious abuse, transphobia and self-injury need advance discussion.