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Jean
Seventeen–year–old Jean, a troubled Jewish boy caught in the countercultural swirl of 1970s London, arrives at Compton Manor, a rural alternative boarding school for boys with “problems.” Though he is an outcast among these outcasts, he is befriended by Tom, a much wealthier, more popular classmate, and it seems as if Jean’s world might change.
When things turn romantic, Jean is tipped into a heady, overwhelming infatuation. What before seemed odd now brims with promise—the compulsory farming at school, reading poetry aloud, pagan ritual—and Jean thinks he might even pass his exams. But the differences between Tom and Jean—Tom is tuition–paying, Jean is on a scholarship; Tom social, Jean reclusive—create too wide a chasm to cross.
Set over one hot summer, Jean is a startlingly assured debut about the kinds of love that break us and make us whole.
When things turn romantic, Jean is tipped into a heady, overwhelming infatuation. What before seemed odd now brims with promise—the compulsory farming at school, reading poetry aloud, pagan ritual—and Jean thinks he might even pass his exams. But the differences between Tom and Jean—Tom is tuition–paying, Jean is on a scholarship; Tom social, Jean reclusive—create too wide a chasm to cross.
Set over one hot summer, Jean is a startlingly assured debut about the kinds of love that break us and make us whole.
224 pages, Hardcover
Published January 13, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
December 8, 2025
First off, I really do appreciate the ARC via Netgalley and Norton - but sadly, this just did not work for me hardly at all.
The debut novelist lists 6 well-known authors (J. Eugenides, J. S. Foer, K. Kitamura, G. Greenwell, B. Markovits, Brandon Taylor) in the acknowledgments who served as teachers/mentors during the composition of the book - but apparently NONE of them taught her the #1 most obvious rule for writers: write what you know.
Not only was the author (obvs.) never a 17-year-old questioning queer boy, but, to judge by the author photo, she can't be much older than 30, so was also not around in 1976 when she sets her story - although you would hardly know that without being told, as there are virtually NO period details (I suspect the era was chosen so as NOT to have to deal with the impending AIDS crisis).
Now having been approximately the same age as the titular character in 1976 AND a questioning queer boy back then too - this lacked any verisimilitude for me as to what one went through. Sure, I was in Calif and a bright student, NOT in a remedial school for delinquents in the UK - but even allowing for that difference, Jean's trials and tribulations rang largely false to me.
Compounding that issue, the writer has an odd quirk of starting something in the present tense and then without warning, segueing to a memory or flashback, and then as abruptly, whiplashing back to the present. Not only did I find this jarring and often confusing, but that caused the book to lack any forward momentum ... in the immortal words of the Friends theme song: "it's like you're always stuck in 2nd gear".
It took me five days to get through this, when normally a book of this length would take me two... Also: no quotation marks in dialogue scenes, so often you had to work to figure out who was speaking- I wish this horrendous fad would die a swift death.
Finally, my other issue is that there is an extended, totally superfluous section detailing in minute and gross detail the slaughter and butchering of a cow - if I weren't already a confirmed longtime vegan, those passages would certainly have converted me!
Despite my lack of virtually any enjoyment, others have found a lot to like in this, so perhaps it's a case of 'it's not you, it's me' - so don't let me dissuade you from trying it out if it seems of interest - your mileage may very well vary!
The debut novelist lists 6 well-known authors (J. Eugenides, J. S. Foer, K. Kitamura, G. Greenwell, B. Markovits, Brandon Taylor) in the acknowledgments who served as teachers/mentors during the composition of the book - but apparently NONE of them taught her the #1 most obvious rule for writers: write what you know.
Not only was the author (obvs.) never a 17-year-old questioning queer boy, but, to judge by the author photo, she can't be much older than 30, so was also not around in 1976 when she sets her story - although you would hardly know that without being told, as there are virtually NO period details (I suspect the era was chosen so as NOT to have to deal with the impending AIDS crisis).
Now having been approximately the same age as the titular character in 1976 AND a questioning queer boy back then too - this lacked any verisimilitude for me as to what one went through. Sure, I was in Calif and a bright student, NOT in a remedial school for delinquents in the UK - but even allowing for that difference, Jean's trials and tribulations rang largely false to me.
Compounding that issue, the writer has an odd quirk of starting something in the present tense and then without warning, segueing to a memory or flashback, and then as abruptly, whiplashing back to the present. Not only did I find this jarring and often confusing, but that caused the book to lack any forward momentum ... in the immortal words of the Friends theme song: "it's like you're always stuck in 2nd gear".
It took me five days to get through this, when normally a book of this length would take me two... Also: no quotation marks in dialogue scenes, so often you had to work to figure out who was speaking- I wish this horrendous fad would die a swift death.
Finally, my other issue is that there is an extended, totally superfluous section detailing in minute and gross detail the slaughter and butchering of a cow - if I weren't already a confirmed longtime vegan, those passages would certainly have converted me!
Despite my lack of virtually any enjoyment, others have found a lot to like in this, so perhaps it's a case of 'it's not you, it's me' - so don't let me dissuade you from trying it out if it seems of interest - your mileage may very well vary!
September 30, 2025
4.5
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. This book was soooo good. From the atmosphere to the prose I could not put it down. It definitely reminded me a bit of call me by your name with the secluded setting some of the book had. It definitely also has an academia sort of vibe with the school scenes. The two main characters both heavily flawed were so compelling to follow and read about. This book is not a romance but instead an exploration of queer youth and the messiness of it. Totally recommend to literally everyone.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. This book was soooo good. From the atmosphere to the prose I could not put it down. It definitely reminded me a bit of call me by your name with the secluded setting some of the book had. It definitely also has an academia sort of vibe with the school scenes. The two main characters both heavily flawed were so compelling to follow and read about. This book is not a romance but instead an exploration of queer youth and the messiness of it. Totally recommend to literally everyone.
Read
October 3, 2025I’m sorry. I really thought I would love this one, but starting reading while traveling for 26 hours with a flu on a plane (three actually) might not have been the best decision. Add headaches preventing me from picking it back up, lacking quotation marks, and sudden jumps from present to past and back to present and I got lost. Such a shame because I saw people comparing this one to Young Mungo, These Violent Delights, Swimming in the Dark, and the first pages made me think of Brian Washington’s writing.
For now it’s a DNF, but I might come back to it later when I’m feeling better!
For now it’s a DNF, but I might come back to it later when I’m feeling better!
January 14, 2026
3.5 ⭐️
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ALC of the audiobook!
Jean is a seventeen year old attending a rural boarding school for troubled boys. Through out the story we see Jean struggle to fit in as well as trying to figure out his feelings for Tom.
I did very much enjoy this book it was a very easy read and the plot was engaging however I did have a few issues.
I felt that the ending was a little rushed and the book in general could have been a bit longer and I don’t mean it in the “I wish this never ends” sense more in the “you could have done more with this” kind of way.
Another thing was the time period the book is set in 1970s the author states, if I wasn’t explicitly told I would have been none the wiser. Nothing would have changed if the book was set in 2000s it adds nothing to the story.
Now for the audiobook: I did enjoy it to an extent but good god I didn’t like the narrator. It might be just a me thing but the way he portrayed literally EVERY side character to sound was so grating hearing it for the first time was a shock to the system and I wish I could say you get used to it but I’d be lying.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ALC of the audiobook!
Jean is a seventeen year old attending a rural boarding school for troubled boys. Through out the story we see Jean struggle to fit in as well as trying to figure out his feelings for Tom.
I did very much enjoy this book it was a very easy read and the plot was engaging however I did have a few issues.
I felt that the ending was a little rushed and the book in general could have been a bit longer and I don’t mean it in the “I wish this never ends” sense more in the “you could have done more with this” kind of way.
Another thing was the time period the book is set in 1970s the author states, if I wasn’t explicitly told I would have been none the wiser. Nothing would have changed if the book was set in 2000s it adds nothing to the story.
Now for the audiobook: I did enjoy it to an extent but good god I didn’t like the narrator. It might be just a me thing but the way he portrayed literally EVERY side character to sound was so grating hearing it for the first time was a shock to the system and I wish I could say you get used to it but I’d be lying.
September 19, 2025
I couldn’t stop thinking about this book after I finished. A raw story of love and the way it hurts and pleasures us. Jean was a fascinating character. Despite his troubles I found him endearing and the emotions and feelings he has for Tom were palpable to the reader. I could feel his passion and longing. This book was so beautifully written. It’s truly a literary masterpiece that was honest and real. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Read
December 24, 2025This is one of those weird reviews because I actually enjoyed this while I was reading it but having sat on it...I'm not sure I did? Or I find elements less engaging in retrospect? It's an odd novel, very literary and experimental (though it's very readable once you get into the groove of it), I did really love the characters - thematically, this felt like a queer novel from the 70s or 80s, but I'm... not sure about it.
October 9, 2025
Jean is a disquieting portrayal of queer desire and intimacy pushed to their limits—where pleasure, perception, and memory blur in a volatile dance of comfort and transgression.
[Full review available here]
[Full review available here]
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December 31, 2025Youchie….last book of 2025 and it didn’t disappoint:)
November 5, 2025
Thank you to Norton for providing me with an ARC of this release.
Jean was an uneven and ultimately unsatisfying read. Firstly, it's too muddled in the execution, hampered further with confusing dialogue and points of view; the novel explores a variety of themes that could have cohered, but were not delved into with enough depth, such as Jean’s blond and blue-eyed father (presumably German, and the image of the prototypical Aryan) contrasted with his mother’s more obvious Jewishness, along with the side notes on Jewish assimilation and the conflicts arising from it (such as Micky taking on a non-Jewish sounding name, and not correcting others if they assume he’s Spanish or Portuguese).
Jean's rebellious and violent impulses may have been expressions of a core knowledge or imposition of not-belonging, arising from factors outside of his control, such as his class and ethnic status; notions of control, power and powerlessness drive him to desperately seek alternative ways of being and experiencing through meditation, drugs, and Buddhist philosophy. If one is apart from the constraints and expectations of the material world, then presumably they will be shielded from suffering--this is Jean's rationale, as he grapples with his confusing feelings and desires. I liked the tension between a wish to belong and surrendering to emptiness/nothingness, to escape the confusion and panic of not-belonging or not-understanding.
The execution of the novel is half-baked, with some brilliant moments such as the juxtaposition of the cow slaughter as Jean is distracted thinking of Tom, as he’s making the cuts and lets the knife slip. The bare insight toward the end that Jean was not so different from his peers after all felt like a step into cohesion, interrupted by the realization of the class and ethnic distinction which makes itself stark with Tom’s betrayal--that "differences" are largely imposed and institutional and embraced by most individuals, if not outwardly flaunted, for the privileges granted to them. Then we return to the origin point, so it feels like a wasted "turn".
I also don’t like the typical narrative of a young gay boy wrestling with his sexuality due to an event of sexual violence, as Jean wrestles with the shame of his first sexual encounter being one of violation, with the novel leading you into assuming Micky is the perpetrator, but then it was actually a random Italian man. The relationship that Jean has with Micky is wrought, with Jean attempting simultaneously to find a positive male role model in the absence of his father, and an object of his romantic and sexual desire--all while struggling to meet standards of what it is to be a "boy" or "man", also influenced by his lack of an older male figure to strive to emulate.
The novel teeters frequently between coming off as exploitative rather than delicate, like how Jean shrinks from expressions of tenderness while juggling violent urges and impulses and feelings, to prove himself a man and not a “f****t”, because of that first encounter he never reconciled or confided to anyone about, aside from Tom, who ended up betraying him. The looming shape of the quasi-male figure along with constant derision of his Jewishness combine to leave the reader wondering if the novel will ground itself in a proper engagement of their tension. It seems like his Jewishness was another sign of "otherness" and included tactlessly, with offhand comments about Jean’s grandparents, one “sent to a camp”...couldn’t this have been put more delicately, with another looming shape being generational trauma in the wake of the Holocaust.
Clearly Jean resents his mom for being so controlling and bohemian, and clearly not English, clearly an "other", and thus contributing further to his ostracization—because even when he has his father’s German features, he is still seen and treated as a “Yid”, and thus perhaps why he longs so desperately for his father--perhaps he would be more readily accepted, he may think. I'd have liked more grounding of this.
There are also too many random details that could have been incorporated earlier, like the plan for Jean to go to art school. It seemed pulled out of nowhere that he even liked or indulged in art at all toward the end as he thinks about his classmates' future plans in particular. The novel seems like a lot of spliced together parts that could have connected well, but the writing meandered too much or lost focus.
I did enjoy the confusion and whirlwind of youth against a cold, strange academic background, but the tossed in pagan element does seem out of sorts with how David, the headmaster, is especially bent toward Christian respectability. Somehow they are all fine with being in dresses and general debauchery? What happened to making them “proper” men? It doesn’t check out with how it's a reform school.
I would’ve liked a progression of the "Aha" moment when Jean realizes how inward he’s been, presumptuous of others, or simply failing to be curious about them, like when he is conscious finally that Hugo’s father is a famous artist, along with the others’ future plans. He reflects on how he just hated and resented his classmates without actual context or reasoning; at the same time, both make sense, from a class and ethnic perspective, like how he’s attending the school on a scholarship--yet this also does not pose much of a problem until it's convenient for conflict in the narrative. Jean doesn’t seem to care much about studying until the very end. And why does Tom care at all, on a side note? He and Jean studying together so fervently doesn't make sense in that respect.
It's a "coming of age" novel, yet there is no sense of maturity or growth by the novel's end. He accepts his outcast status, both self-imposed and societally enforced, and that he’s truly “alone”.
I will say I enjoyed quite a bit of the writing, such as the figurative language during the scenes in wilderness, emphasizing Jean’s inner tension that is released as a “wildness” of his own, that he fears and cannot begin to understand. The writer is good at evoking such visceral scenes and contrasting tenderness with violence.
Ratings confound and confuse me at times, but I'd give this novel a 2.5/5.
Jean was an uneven and ultimately unsatisfying read. Firstly, it's too muddled in the execution, hampered further with confusing dialogue and points of view; the novel explores a variety of themes that could have cohered, but were not delved into with enough depth, such as Jean’s blond and blue-eyed father (presumably German, and the image of the prototypical Aryan) contrasted with his mother’s more obvious Jewishness, along with the side notes on Jewish assimilation and the conflicts arising from it (such as Micky taking on a non-Jewish sounding name, and not correcting others if they assume he’s Spanish or Portuguese).
Jean's rebellious and violent impulses may have been expressions of a core knowledge or imposition of not-belonging, arising from factors outside of his control, such as his class and ethnic status; notions of control, power and powerlessness drive him to desperately seek alternative ways of being and experiencing through meditation, drugs, and Buddhist philosophy. If one is apart from the constraints and expectations of the material world, then presumably they will be shielded from suffering--this is Jean's rationale, as he grapples with his confusing feelings and desires. I liked the tension between a wish to belong and surrendering to emptiness/nothingness, to escape the confusion and panic of not-belonging or not-understanding.
The execution of the novel is half-baked, with some brilliant moments such as the juxtaposition of the cow slaughter as Jean is distracted thinking of Tom, as he’s making the cuts and lets the knife slip. The bare insight toward the end that Jean was not so different from his peers after all felt like a step into cohesion, interrupted by the realization of the class and ethnic distinction which makes itself stark with Tom’s betrayal--that "differences" are largely imposed and institutional and embraced by most individuals, if not outwardly flaunted, for the privileges granted to them. Then we return to the origin point, so it feels like a wasted "turn".
I also don’t like the typical narrative of a young gay boy wrestling with his sexuality due to an event of sexual violence, as Jean wrestles with the shame of his first sexual encounter being one of violation, with the novel leading you into assuming Micky is the perpetrator, but then it was actually a random Italian man. The relationship that Jean has with Micky is wrought, with Jean attempting simultaneously to find a positive male role model in the absence of his father, and an object of his romantic and sexual desire--all while struggling to meet standards of what it is to be a "boy" or "man", also influenced by his lack of an older male figure to strive to emulate.
The novel teeters frequently between coming off as exploitative rather than delicate, like how Jean shrinks from expressions of tenderness while juggling violent urges and impulses and feelings, to prove himself a man and not a “f****t”, because of that first encounter he never reconciled or confided to anyone about, aside from Tom, who ended up betraying him. The looming shape of the quasi-male figure along with constant derision of his Jewishness combine to leave the reader wondering if the novel will ground itself in a proper engagement of their tension. It seems like his Jewishness was another sign of "otherness" and included tactlessly, with offhand comments about Jean’s grandparents, one “sent to a camp”...couldn’t this have been put more delicately, with another looming shape being generational trauma in the wake of the Holocaust.
Clearly Jean resents his mom for being so controlling and bohemian, and clearly not English, clearly an "other", and thus contributing further to his ostracization—because even when he has his father’s German features, he is still seen and treated as a “Yid”, and thus perhaps why he longs so desperately for his father--perhaps he would be more readily accepted, he may think. I'd have liked more grounding of this.
There are also too many random details that could have been incorporated earlier, like the plan for Jean to go to art school. It seemed pulled out of nowhere that he even liked or indulged in art at all toward the end as he thinks about his classmates' future plans in particular. The novel seems like a lot of spliced together parts that could have connected well, but the writing meandered too much or lost focus.
I did enjoy the confusion and whirlwind of youth against a cold, strange academic background, but the tossed in pagan element does seem out of sorts with how David, the headmaster, is especially bent toward Christian respectability. Somehow they are all fine with being in dresses and general debauchery? What happened to making them “proper” men? It doesn’t check out with how it's a reform school.
I would’ve liked a progression of the "Aha" moment when Jean realizes how inward he’s been, presumptuous of others, or simply failing to be curious about them, like when he is conscious finally that Hugo’s father is a famous artist, along with the others’ future plans. He reflects on how he just hated and resented his classmates without actual context or reasoning; at the same time, both make sense, from a class and ethnic perspective, like how he’s attending the school on a scholarship--yet this also does not pose much of a problem until it's convenient for conflict in the narrative. Jean doesn’t seem to care much about studying until the very end. And why does Tom care at all, on a side note? He and Jean studying together so fervently doesn't make sense in that respect.
It's a "coming of age" novel, yet there is no sense of maturity or growth by the novel's end. He accepts his outcast status, both self-imposed and societally enforced, and that he’s truly “alone”.
I will say I enjoyed quite a bit of the writing, such as the figurative language during the scenes in wilderness, emphasizing Jean’s inner tension that is released as a “wildness” of his own, that he fears and cannot begin to understand. The writer is good at evoking such visceral scenes and contrasting tenderness with violence.
Ratings confound and confuse me at times, but I'd give this novel a 2.5/5.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Rating: 4* of five
The Publisher Says: Seventeen–year–old Jean, a troubled Jewish boy caught in the countercultural swirl of 1970s London, arrives at Compton Manor, a rural alternative boarding school for boys with “problems.” Though he is an outcast among these outcasts, he is befriended by Tom, a much wealthier, more popular classmate, and it seems as if Jean’s world might change.
When things turn romantic, Jean is tipped into a heady, overwhelming infatuation. What before seemed odd now brims with promise—the compulsory farming at school, reading poetry aloud, pagan ritual—and Jean thinks he might even pass his exams. But the differences between Tom and Jean—Tom is tuition–paying, Jean is on a scholarship; Tom social, Jean reclusive—create too wide a chasm to cross.
Set over one hot summer, Jean is a startlingly assured debut about the kinds of love that break us and make us whole.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: Choosing not to use conventional punctuation is the root of many novelists' downfall. As a debut novelist, Author Dunnigan set herself this monumental task, on top of several other monumental tasks in telling the story of a young Queer boy coming alive to sex and sexuality in a highly specific milieu. It is an uneven success at them all. The least successful is the sense of place; it's 1976 in London, but if you want to be transported to 1976 London, this is not your best choice of a read.
Jean is a scholarship boy in a behavioral-problem-student boarding school. It's a sketched in place, apart from some unpleasantly graphic dealings with animals dead and alive. Those are extremely particular environments; with a reader's expectations set on feeling immersed in the world they're not successful. I can't say I was ever more than tangentially aware of the environment. It is not described or, better still, evoked. It's stated this is where the action takes place. It works against the sense of place for the characters, teen boys mind you, to wander around in time as the narrative continues. This is how an older person experiences time...this connects to *that* and whatever happened to him anyway but this jerk can't cut in line! No! get back to your place while I find my damn wallet again did I leave it on the counter? oh good there it is.
Teenagers aren't prone to this yet, every moment is real! alive! pulsing with possibility! especially when you're newly In Love with the most gorgeous exciting amazing boy on the planet who has the sexiest...oh my he's hot. What this does give the reader is the World of Jean, all third person, all interior, all solipsistic as a boy usually is.
Punctuation keeeps the stream of consciousness from bursting the banks and making a mess. This story is the mess that punctuation and dialogue tags prevent. It's not bad, as in not incompetent in any way. It's just more work than it needs to be to pick the threads of doomed adolescent heartbreak out of the verbs. As a superannuated version of Jean, I can say Author Dunnigan's chosen a strangely indirect way to deal with adolescent male libido by distancing the reader from it in this stream of consciousness. It's almost sexless sexuality presented in the flashes of memory and the internal asides and other tangential evocations.The way she's chosen to present him to us felt distancing to me because he is not experiencing the moment. He's a teen boy in love, he would be thinking A LOT about sex in direct and physical terms, since he isn't a virgin any more.
I'm still excited by the read. I liked the experience of Jean's rootlessness, his inability to see anything not directly pointed out to him. I think a big part of my desire to keep reading was rooted in my sense that, for all the author's odd choices and off framing that didn't work for me, I got to see the world from the haze of Wrongness that Jean has always felt...that so many like him, limited, ungainly, graceless, feel. It was a big mental leap to be in Jean's skin. He does not think ahead, he is not aware of others as real, he can't fully grasp his choices are in fact his own. Jean does not make choices. Things happen to Jean. The constant tobacco use and the uncontrolled drug use were deeply familiar, very much part of adolescence in the era. In the end, Jean is a boy whose manhood we don't get to see but which is not likely to be much better than his adolescence of betrayals has been.
My recommendation sounds grudging. It really isn't. This is a debut novel that takes a big swing. It is more successful than not; it's only that the presentaion isn't going to entice readers who aren't already fans of stream-of-consciousness storytelling. It felt fine to me, and might to you if you're willing to make room for a man being born and broken at the same time.
The Publisher Says: Seventeen–year–old Jean, a troubled Jewish boy caught in the countercultural swirl of 1970s London, arrives at Compton Manor, a rural alternative boarding school for boys with “problems.” Though he is an outcast among these outcasts, he is befriended by Tom, a much wealthier, more popular classmate, and it seems as if Jean’s world might change.
When things turn romantic, Jean is tipped into a heady, overwhelming infatuation. What before seemed odd now brims with promise—the compulsory farming at school, reading poetry aloud, pagan ritual—and Jean thinks he might even pass his exams. But the differences between Tom and Jean—Tom is tuition–paying, Jean is on a scholarship; Tom social, Jean reclusive—create too wide a chasm to cross.
Set over one hot summer, Jean is a startlingly assured debut about the kinds of love that break us and make us whole.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: Choosing not to use conventional punctuation is the root of many novelists' downfall. As a debut novelist, Author Dunnigan set herself this monumental task, on top of several other monumental tasks in telling the story of a young Queer boy coming alive to sex and sexuality in a highly specific milieu. It is an uneven success at them all. The least successful is the sense of place; it's 1976 in London, but if you want to be transported to 1976 London, this is not your best choice of a read.
Jean is a scholarship boy in a behavioral-problem-student boarding school. It's a sketched in place, apart from some unpleasantly graphic dealings with animals dead and alive. Those are extremely particular environments; with a reader's expectations set on feeling immersed in the world they're not successful. I can't say I was ever more than tangentially aware of the environment. It is not described or, better still, evoked. It's stated this is where the action takes place. It works against the sense of place for the characters, teen boys mind you, to wander around in time as the narrative continues. This is how an older person experiences time...this connects to *that* and whatever happened to him anyway but this jerk can't cut in line! No! get back to your place while I find my damn wallet again did I leave it on the counter? oh good there it is.
Teenagers aren't prone to this yet, every moment is real! alive! pulsing with possibility! especially when you're newly In Love with the most gorgeous exciting amazing boy on the planet who has the sexiest...oh my he's hot. What this does give the reader is the World of Jean, all third person, all interior, all solipsistic as a boy usually is.
Punctuation keeeps the stream of consciousness from bursting the banks and making a mess. This story is the mess that punctuation and dialogue tags prevent. It's not bad, as in not incompetent in any way. It's just more work than it needs to be to pick the threads of doomed adolescent heartbreak out of the verbs. As a superannuated version of Jean, I can say Author Dunnigan's chosen a strangely indirect way to deal with adolescent male libido by distancing the reader from it in this stream of consciousness. It's almost sexless sexuality presented in the flashes of memory and the internal asides and other tangential evocations.The way she's chosen to present him to us felt distancing to me because he is not experiencing the moment. He's a teen boy in love, he would be thinking A LOT about sex in direct and physical terms, since he isn't a virgin any more.
I'm still excited by the read. I liked the experience of Jean's rootlessness, his inability to see anything not directly pointed out to him. I think a big part of my desire to keep reading was rooted in my sense that, for all the author's odd choices and off framing that didn't work for me, I got to see the world from the haze of Wrongness that Jean has always felt...that so many like him, limited, ungainly, graceless, feel. It was a big mental leap to be in Jean's skin. He does not think ahead, he is not aware of others as real, he can't fully grasp his choices are in fact his own. Jean does not make choices. Things happen to Jean. The constant tobacco use and the uncontrolled drug use were deeply familiar, very much part of adolescence in the era. In the end, Jean is a boy whose manhood we don't get to see but which is not likely to be much better than his adolescence of betrayals has been.
My recommendation sounds grudging. It really isn't. This is a debut novel that takes a big swing. It is more successful than not; it's only that the presentaion isn't going to entice readers who aren't already fans of stream-of-consciousness storytelling. It felt fine to me, and might to you if you're willing to make room for a man being born and broken at the same time.
December 18, 2025
“Tom seemed like such an impossibility, from a different solar system entirely, that the only way Jean could make sense of his longing was by rejecting it.”
Jean doesn’t seek to reinvent the wheel, so the question is, does it achieve what it means to do well enough? Dunnigan’s debut is full of sensuous detail, and her descriptive abilities are considerable. However, from a story and plot perspective, much of Jean resembles well-trod ground.
At its core, Jean is a queer coming-of-age in a remedial school for boys called Compton Manor. Our eponymous character is prone to violence and anger. His home-life is entrenched in abuse from various adults, and so, of course, life-after-Compton is uncertain.
Dunnigan weaves past-and-present with natural ease; her technique has a mildly disorienting effect that elevates the reading experience. It helps move things forward while also providing context for Jean’s behavior.
Central to Jean’s character development is the push and pull of stability and instability, of belonging and not, of safety and risk. These elements are certainly present throughout the novel, but they’re presented in a fashion that’s a bit too obvious. The novel begins with the headmaster of Compton Manor essentially doing a “What am I going to do with you?” as Jean looks longingly out the window. Steady flashbacks portray a character from Jean’s youth, which too-cleanly exists as an opposition to his life with his mother. The usual “all-boys school” hijinks happen; I had my bingo board ready.
I suppose what I’m saying is, nothing is particularly surprising about Jean, both the novel and character. It’s well written, and Dunnigan earnestly tries to lend a bit of novelty to the storytelling (i.e. the form used in Chapter VIII), but the overall impression this left on me was mild.
Thank you to NetGalley and W.W. Norton for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Jean doesn’t seek to reinvent the wheel, so the question is, does it achieve what it means to do well enough? Dunnigan’s debut is full of sensuous detail, and her descriptive abilities are considerable. However, from a story and plot perspective, much of Jean resembles well-trod ground.
At its core, Jean is a queer coming-of-age in a remedial school for boys called Compton Manor. Our eponymous character is prone to violence and anger. His home-life is entrenched in abuse from various adults, and so, of course, life-after-Compton is uncertain.
Dunnigan weaves past-and-present with natural ease; her technique has a mildly disorienting effect that elevates the reading experience. It helps move things forward while also providing context for Jean’s behavior.
Central to Jean’s character development is the push and pull of stability and instability, of belonging and not, of safety and risk. These elements are certainly present throughout the novel, but they’re presented in a fashion that’s a bit too obvious. The novel begins with the headmaster of Compton Manor essentially doing a “What am I going to do with you?” as Jean looks longingly out the window. Steady flashbacks portray a character from Jean’s youth, which too-cleanly exists as an opposition to his life with his mother. The usual “all-boys school” hijinks happen; I had my bingo board ready.
I suppose what I’m saying is, nothing is particularly surprising about Jean, both the novel and character. It’s well written, and Dunnigan earnestly tries to lend a bit of novelty to the storytelling (i.e. the form used in Chapter VIII), but the overall impression this left on me was mild.
Thank you to NetGalley and W.W. Norton for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
November 11, 2025
a devastatingly and heartbreaking coming-of-age debut.
jean is sent to a boarding school where he meets tom, equally troubled youth, but he's well-liked by the other boys. meeting tom changes jean's world. meeting tom opens up even more things in jean than he knew what to do about before. meeting tom was the beginning of an end for jean.
what i love most about coming of age novels is the way characters are introspective and inevitably learn something about themselves. we're given glimpses of jean's past and how they relate to the jean we see in the present. his entire being then is shaped by the before. jean exists as he does because of those past situations. it's a large part of jean; a large part of his own understanding himself and those around him. jean is no exception to adolescence. only it's the 70s and times are vastly different; i wanted it to end well for jean, but it only ends as well as it can for a queer boy in the 70s who has had his first(?) love scorn him over and over.
the relationship between jean and tom is turbulent and quiet. as often as boys do, they shy from their emotions and have a hard time showing or telling the other what they want; that they, too, want what the other wants. whether it is in words or actions, they both have their gazes linger on each other far too long for it to be entirely hetero. tom, especially, lets his gaze linger longer than jean realizes.
dunnigan's prose is beautiful in a sort of tranquil way. it felt intimate at times. it felt like i was standing on the edge watching the boys, or i was in jean's eyes seeing tom's freckles as they lie side by side.
would definitely read this one again.
thank you netgalley and W. W. Norton & Company for the eARC!
jean is sent to a boarding school where he meets tom, equally troubled youth, but he's well-liked by the other boys. meeting tom changes jean's world. meeting tom opens up even more things in jean than he knew what to do about before. meeting tom was the beginning of an end for jean.
what i love most about coming of age novels is the way characters are introspective and inevitably learn something about themselves. we're given glimpses of jean's past and how they relate to the jean we see in the present. his entire being then is shaped by the before. jean exists as he does because of those past situations. it's a large part of jean; a large part of his own understanding himself and those around him. jean is no exception to adolescence. only it's the 70s and times are vastly different; i wanted it to end well for jean, but it only ends as well as it can for a queer boy in the 70s who has had his first(?) love scorn him over and over.
the relationship between jean and tom is turbulent and quiet. as often as boys do, they shy from their emotions and have a hard time showing or telling the other what they want; that they, too, want what the other wants. whether it is in words or actions, they both have their gazes linger on each other far too long for it to be entirely hetero. tom, especially, lets his gaze linger longer than jean realizes.
dunnigan's prose is beautiful in a sort of tranquil way. it felt intimate at times. it felt like i was standing on the edge watching the boys, or i was in jean's eyes seeing tom's freckles as they lie side by side.
would definitely read this one again.
thank you netgalley and W. W. Norton & Company for the eARC!
January 14, 2026
2.5
This was a rather quick read. I really enjoyed the writing style and thought was prose was very good - easy to read but still complex. I think the story was impactful but a lot of its potential was lost due to the way it was constructed. There were a few things that made it hard to follow at times. First, there were frequent, long flashback sections in the middle of scenes in the story's present. The majority of the flashbacks definitely served a purpose and were important to Jean's establishment as a character, but how they were placed wasn't effective for me. Second, I do not think the lack of quotation marks served this book well and found that it often made it hard for me to determine whether a sentence was dialogue or not. (Generally, I am not a fan of the lack of quotation marks trend.) I also think that Tom's character was a bit flat - there were side characters that I felt I had a clearer picture of despite their comparative lack of relevance. My final critique, which is a bit nitpicky, is that I think the historical setting could have been leant into more/more fleshed out - as is, it didn't feel that the mid-70s setting was inextricable from the narrative to me, which I think is important for a novel that is purposely set in a specific time.
What I thought was the strongest part of this book was the exploration of Jean's character and his past. It was an excellent character study, and I felt like Jean, who is an extremely layered character, was slowly revealed over the course of the novel through a balanced combination of the flashbacks to moments from his past and his reactions to present-day events in his life.
Thanks to NetGalley and W.W. Norton & Company for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a rather quick read. I really enjoyed the writing style and thought was prose was very good - easy to read but still complex. I think the story was impactful but a lot of its potential was lost due to the way it was constructed. There were a few things that made it hard to follow at times. First, there were frequent, long flashback sections in the middle of scenes in the story's present. The majority of the flashbacks definitely served a purpose and were important to Jean's establishment as a character, but how they were placed wasn't effective for me. Second, I do not think the lack of quotation marks served this book well and found that it often made it hard for me to determine whether a sentence was dialogue or not. (Generally, I am not a fan of the lack of quotation marks trend.) I also think that Tom's character was a bit flat - there were side characters that I felt I had a clearer picture of despite their comparative lack of relevance. My final critique, which is a bit nitpicky, is that I think the historical setting could have been leant into more/more fleshed out - as is, it didn't feel that the mid-70s setting was inextricable from the narrative to me, which I think is important for a novel that is purposely set in a specific time.
What I thought was the strongest part of this book was the exploration of Jean's character and his past. It was an excellent character study, and I felt like Jean, who is an extremely layered character, was slowly revealed over the course of the novel through a balanced combination of the flashbacks to moments from his past and his reactions to present-day events in his life.
Thanks to NetGalley and W.W. Norton & Company for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 9, 2026
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
After finishing it, I sat on it for a day thinking about it.
I thought that it was just okay. Reading the description of it, I got a different feeling of what the story was going to be than what it actually was.
What it turned out to be was that Jean experienced so many different forms of trauma in his 17 years of life we go on a journey with him as he realizes these things. Which is fine for what it is, but the description didn’t give off these vibes.
That being said, some content warnings should be included. I expected issues like homophobia to come up due to it being set in the 1970s. But, other things like Jean working through the trauma of experiencing sexual violence when he was younger kinda came out of left field.
On another note, some books are better read physically than listened too and I feel like this was one of those books. Part of that being the writing style. Without warning, it moves from present to the past very often and that made it hard to follow a bit while listening.
Overall, for what it was I thought it was okay. Part of me wants to try rereading a physical copy of it now that I have a better understanding of what it’s about. 2.5/5⭐️
After finishing it, I sat on it for a day thinking about it.
I thought that it was just okay. Reading the description of it, I got a different feeling of what the story was going to be than what it actually was.
What it turned out to be was that Jean experienced so many different forms of trauma in his 17 years of life we go on a journey with him as he realizes these things. Which is fine for what it is, but the description didn’t give off these vibes.
That being said, some content warnings should be included. I expected issues like homophobia to come up due to it being set in the 1970s. But, other things like Jean working through the trauma of experiencing sexual violence when he was younger kinda came out of left field.
On another note, some books are better read physically than listened too and I feel like this was one of those books. Part of that being the writing style. Without warning, it moves from present to the past very often and that made it hard to follow a bit while listening.
Overall, for what it was I thought it was okay. Part of me wants to try rereading a physical copy of it now that I have a better understanding of what it’s about. 2.5/5⭐️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 22, 2025
Thank you for the ARC from Netgalley and Norton.
This book was an interesting one. This book is like a slightly less interesting version of Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart or Lie With Me by Phillipe Besson. I thought some aspects were really beautiful, like the way both Jean and Tom's true characters were revealed layer by layer, and the poignant yet almost peaceful setting of the boarding school. But then there were things that offset that beauty. I truly believe that this book would have benefited greatly from some sort of epilogue about Jean and Tom in the future, as well as just a little more explanation or dialogue about those more complex moments like Hugo's final appearance, George's death, Tom's betrayal, and Jean's departure from home. The writing already there is okay, but a couple more sentences for each of those moments would have increased my comprehension of the characters and their stories.
Overall, this story was a nice read that could have become a great read with just a little more.
This book was an interesting one. This book is like a slightly less interesting version of Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart or Lie With Me by Phillipe Besson. I thought some aspects were really beautiful, like the way both Jean and Tom's true characters were revealed layer by layer, and the poignant yet almost peaceful setting of the boarding school. But then there were things that offset that beauty. I truly believe that this book would have benefited greatly from some sort of epilogue about Jean and Tom in the future, as well as just a little more explanation or dialogue about those more complex moments like Hugo's final appearance, George's death, Tom's betrayal, and Jean's departure from home. The writing already there is okay, but a couple more sentences for each of those moments would have increased my comprehension of the characters and their stories.
Overall, this story was a nice read that could have become a great read with just a little more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2025
Thank you W. W. Norton & Company for the ARC!
Madeleine Dunnigan's JEAN is an absolutely heartbreaking and beautiful book. The prose in JEAN is beautiful, but there is a heaviness and loneliness to JEAN; the desire to be understood, not only by others but also to understand oneself, along with navigating longing and yearning for someone you are never quite sure you can have or if they even care.
I really appreciate how Dunnigan moves between the present and past without any warning to the reader; to me, this puts us even more so in the headspace of Jean, and we get lost in his thoughts and memories with him.
Madeleine Dunnigan's JEAN is an absolutely heartbreaking and beautiful book. The prose in JEAN is beautiful, but there is a heaviness and loneliness to JEAN; the desire to be understood, not only by others but also to understand oneself, along with navigating longing and yearning for someone you are never quite sure you can have or if they even care.
I really appreciate how Dunnigan moves between the present and past without any warning to the reader; to me, this puts us even more so in the headspace of Jean, and we get lost in his thoughts and memories with him.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thank you to W.W. Norton & Company for the review copy.
Jean is one of those books where not much happens, but the writing is so magnetic that I read it in a day.
Jean is attending a fancy school for "troubled boys" and doesn't feel like he fits in. The book narrates the relationship between him and one of the students, but it's really a character study on Jean. He reflects on his past while trying to understand himself and others in the present.
It's not often that I highlight passages in a book, but I did with this one. Madeleine Dunnigan is a talented writer who clearly put a lot of heart into Jean and captured this short period of his life in a really beautiful way.
Jean is one of those books where not much happens, but the writing is so magnetic that I read it in a day.
Jean is attending a fancy school for "troubled boys" and doesn't feel like he fits in. The book narrates the relationship between him and one of the students, but it's really a character study on Jean. He reflects on his past while trying to understand himself and others in the present.
It's not often that I highlight passages in a book, but I did with this one. Madeleine Dunnigan is a talented writer who clearly put a lot of heart into Jean and captured this short period of his life in a really beautiful way.
January 11, 2026
ARC REVIEW
A very assured debut! Jean follows the 17 year old titular character as he attends a school for “troubled boys” in 1970s London. It is a beautifully written coming of age story of confusion, loss and identify through the tale of intense, misunderstood adolescent love and lust.
The prose is really well written, and while it definitely lost its flow in some places, I truly enjoyed it.
The narration however was not my favourite at all.
Thanks to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for the audio ARC!
A very assured debut! Jean follows the 17 year old titular character as he attends a school for “troubled boys” in 1970s London. It is a beautifully written coming of age story of confusion, loss and identify through the tale of intense, misunderstood adolescent love and lust.
The prose is really well written, and while it definitely lost its flow in some places, I truly enjoyed it.
The narration however was not my favourite at all.
Thanks to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for the audio ARC!
October 29, 2025
I was given this ARC by the owner of my local bookstore and I am so happy to report that I really enjoyed this. I found the writing style, jumping from past to present, to easily emulate real life thought and memory. Jean's complex masculine anger was explored here in a super interesting way which I found both disturbing and relatable. I did not love the ending of this book but enjoyed the story nonetheless.
January 2, 2026
I liked this book. The ending was so uncertain but not like an open ending, so I am taking one star back. The main character was a troubled young man, unreliable narrator. Dead Poet Society meets Dark Academia.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I liked the writing but the plot wasn't super engaging. Also wish this book had quotation marks for dialogue, because it was often confusing who was speaking. Would like to see this as a movie though!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks for the ARC
So I liked the setting and the characters. It was compelling enough. Gritty and not romantic but hitting that line of learning about love and being young. The strength is the vibes.
So I liked the setting and the characters. It was compelling enough. Gritty and not romantic but hitting that line of learning about love and being young. The strength is the vibes.
January 13, 2026
Fucking Jesus Christ (4.5 stars rounded down) this is a book about making your own decisions and continuing to live even when everything has crumbled down around you and i really did love it. Audiobook narrated by Keval Shah who I do really REALLY enjoy, made it all the better. :)
Review of advance copy
Quiet and tender book that draws you in as you and the main character work through memory, present and fantasy
Review of advance copy
What can I say I’m a sucker for sad gay books with black and grey covers.
January 9, 2026
*rtc
this was a hot mess
this was a hot mess
Review of advance copy
Knew the ending was coming but it still hurt. Listening to Perverts by Ethel Cain and When The Pawn by Fiona Apple while reading made the experience so much more soul crushing.
Want to read
January 15, 2026I'm currently five (FIVE!!!) minutes into the audiobook and I don't know if I can do this, why does the narrator sound like Dracula, like what the hell are we doing here
January 18, 2026
2.75 stars.
I understood the destination, but the journey there was bit boring
I understood the destination, but the journey there was bit boring
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