SuitabookThe Outrage
William Hussey
- Reading
- 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.
- Themes
- Freedom versus imposed safety: The Protectorate regulates what people eat, wear, say, read, think and whom they love, promising safety in exchange for obedience. The premise frames enforced conformity and the destruction of rights as a warning about complacency and political regression.
- 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. The book presents this favourably.
- 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. The book presents this favourably.
- Worth knowing
- 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.