The Arena of the Unwell

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The upcoming Smiling Politely album is a beacon of hope for Noah who craves the connection he finds in their music yet lacks elsewhere, but he has to ask himself what he's willing to lose - friendships, dignity, even his sense of self - to just feel like he belongs. I think the clearest influence is in the little music journalism interludes that pop up between some of the chapters. Though his friend Mairead and his father are clearly struggling with their own issues we learn little about their situations.Listened to this album driving home the night lockdown was announced so I wouldn't be alone at uni and it really uplifted me on the journey. It has good queer, but not necessarily positive, representation (Mairead, yes; Dylan and Fraser, no).

I also feel like for a character study, I don't feel like the characters developed much from page one to page 300. With all that being said, there are some truly harrowing and very realistic descriptions of addiction throughout.Throughout the course of the story, Konemann presents his readers with an uncompromising interrogation of the contradicting and often obscure nature of love and desire. There is so much raw emotion to the writing, and the book just pulls you into the life of these characters. As much as anything else, The Arena is a coming-of-age story, as we watch Noah try to support himself and figure out how he wants his relationships to be.