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The Importance of Being Wilde at Heart
Readers of Adam Silvera (They Both Die at the End) and Elizabeth Acevedo (The Poet X) will pull out the tissues for this tender, quirky story of one seventeen-year-old boy's journey through first love and first heartbreak, guided by his personal hero, Oscar Wilde.
Words have always been more than enough for Ken Z, but when he meets Ran at the mall food court, everything changes. Beautiful, mysterious Ran opens the door to a number of firsts for Ken: first kiss, first love. But as quickly as he enters Ken's life, Ran disappears, and Ken Z is left wondering: Why love at all, if this is where it leads?
Letting it end there would be tragic. So, with the help of his best friends, the comfort of his haikus and lists, and even strange, surreal appearances by his hero, Oscar Wilde, Ken will find that love is worth more than the price of heartbreak.
Words have always been more than enough for Ken Z, but when he meets Ran at the mall food court, everything changes. Beautiful, mysterious Ran opens the door to a number of firsts for Ken: first kiss, first love. But as quickly as he enters Ken's life, Ran disappears, and Ken Z is left wondering: Why love at all, if this is where it leads?
Letting it end there would be tragic. So, with the help of his best friends, the comfort of his haikus and lists, and even strange, surreal appearances by his hero, Oscar Wilde, Ken will find that love is worth more than the price of heartbreak.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published August 13, 2019
15 people are currently reading
939 people want to read
About the author
R. Zamora Linmark
21 books49 followersR. Zamora Linmark is the author of Rolling The R’s, Prime Time Apparitions, The Evolution of a Sigh, and Leche, sequel to Rolling The R’s. A two-time Fulbright Scholar, he has received grants and fellowships from the U.S.-Japan Friendship Commission, National Endowment for the Arts, San Francisco Arts Commission, and twice from the Fulbright Foundation, in 1998, and as a Senior Scholar in 2005.
His residencies include the Macdowell Colony, the Corporation of Yaddo, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and, most recently, Fundacion Valparaiso in Spain. He has taught at the U.C. Santa Cruz, De La Salle University in the Philippines, and most recently, at the University of Hawaii in Manoa where he was the Distinguished Visiting Writer. His writings can be found in many anthologies including Charlie Chan is Dead (edited by Jessica Hagedorn).
His residencies include the Macdowell Colony, the Corporation of Yaddo, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and, most recently, Fundacion Valparaiso in Spain. He has taught at the U.C. Santa Cruz, De La Salle University in the Philippines, and most recently, at the University of Hawaii in Manoa where he was the Distinguished Visiting Writer. His writings can be found in many anthologies including Charlie Chan is Dead (edited by Jessica Hagedorn).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
August 11, 2019
What I thought might be a "wrong side of the tracks" story actually had nothing to do with their classism keeping them apart. Ran just... ran. I thought that was a little disappointing. What would become a theme through this book is how it never really unpacks its many themes. The aforementioned classism, homophobia, banned books, government control over access to information, just to name a few, only really get passing mentions and rarely have much to do with the core of the story, which is Ran and Ken Z. It feels like this book tries to do too much in a not inconsiderable 352 pages.
In its essence, this book is about how much it sucks to be ghosted, especially at a young age, and especially at a point in your life where you're just figuring out who you are. Ken Z never shares if he is bi or gay, or any other orientation, but he finds himself attracted to Ran, something he truly never expected. And maybe that's why Ran's disappearance hits him so hard. Ran takes all of Ken Z's options to talk about how he's feeling with him when he never returns from North Kristol. Sure, Ken Z could talk to his friends, but this is something he wanted to do with Ran, to explore with Ran, and to have that taken away and to be left behind without a word at the same time is a crushing experience.
Other reviews are not exaggerating when they say that this book is very cutesy. The first third or so of this book rides the line of being too sugary sweet for my taste, and borders on the ridiculous. It's fun to see a young boy being infatuated for the first time, especially in a more or less "forbidden love" situation, but I also remember being a teenager and just being happy that the guy I liked put on deodorant after gym class. Also, what teenager lives a live with so incredibly little adult supervision? Outside of Mr. Oku and the occasional short appearance by Ken Z's mom, I kept wondering where all the adults were.
I don't understand the comparison to Adam Silvera. It doesn't work. (I can't speak to the comparison to Elizabeth Acevedo, as I have not read The Poet X yet.) That's... a bold claim, and one this book fails to earn.
Overall, this book is like a 2.5 for me. It was readable, but could have used a little more consistency in following through with discussion of its many, many themes. I would have liked to have seen Ran and Ken Z's relationship through a lens that isn't super flowery. I wish the author had dug further into Ken Z, because even by the story's end I just sort of felt "meh" about it all. I didn't feel for Ken Z the way I wanted to. I wanted to ache with him, to feel his anger and confusion, and to heal with him. Instead, I'm left underwhelmed by this work overall. I do hope it finds its fanbase, but I wanted so much more - what the story had the potential to be, what it practically begged to be - than what I got.
In its essence, this book is about how much it sucks to be ghosted, especially at a young age, and especially at a point in your life where you're just figuring out who you are. Ken Z never shares if he is bi or gay, or any other orientation, but he finds himself attracted to Ran, something he truly never expected. And maybe that's why Ran's disappearance hits him so hard. Ran takes all of Ken Z's options to talk about how he's feeling with him when he never returns from North Kristol. Sure, Ken Z could talk to his friends, but this is something he wanted to do with Ran, to explore with Ran, and to have that taken away and to be left behind without a word at the same time is a crushing experience.
Other reviews are not exaggerating when they say that this book is very cutesy. The first third or so of this book rides the line of being too sugary sweet for my taste, and borders on the ridiculous. It's fun to see a young boy being infatuated for the first time, especially in a more or less "forbidden love" situation, but I also remember being a teenager and just being happy that the guy I liked put on deodorant after gym class. Also, what teenager lives a live with so incredibly little adult supervision? Outside of Mr. Oku and the occasional short appearance by Ken Z's mom, I kept wondering where all the adults were.
I don't understand the comparison to Adam Silvera. It doesn't work. (I can't speak to the comparison to Elizabeth Acevedo, as I have not read The Poet X yet.) That's... a bold claim, and one this book fails to earn.
Overall, this book is like a 2.5 for me. It was readable, but could have used a little more consistency in following through with discussion of its many, many themes. I would have liked to have seen Ran and Ken Z's relationship through a lens that isn't super flowery. I wish the author had dug further into Ken Z, because even by the story's end I just sort of felt "meh" about it all. I didn't feel for Ken Z the way I wanted to. I wanted to ache with him, to feel his anger and confusion, and to heal with him. Instead, I'm left underwhelmed by this work overall. I do hope it finds its fanbase, but I wanted so much more - what the story had the potential to be, what it practically begged to be - than what I got.
May 30, 2020
3.5/5
For the bio that compare this to Elizabeth Acevedo's The Poet X -- How could one write such a lie...
This book definitely had me changing my opinion every couple of pages... One minute I was so excited at the prospect of LGBTQ Filipino stories (spoiler: as a non-binary Filipino-American, I was very let-down), the next I thought the "Wilde" concept was being pushed too hard, after I wondered if I had misunderstood the entirety of the plot, then got suckered as a hopeless romantic but annoyed at the entire dialogue and myself, and finally ending with general content but still feeling "eh". I wasn't looking for some life changing analysis of what it's like to be LGBTQ and Filipino, but if that is advertised as the crux of the plot, of course I am going to have some expectations going in... Sad to say most expectations were not met.
Things that were not bad
- I felt exposed lol. I was absolutely OVER Ken Z's character and found him whiny, impractical, asking too many questions, drawing too many hypotheticals, too many abstract thoughts with overthinking, prioritizing someone he just met over people he'd known for years, not valuing his single mother -- then I realized this was definitely a previous version of myself, especially around the time when I was in my first long-term relationship. I hated his character because it held some of the ugliest parts of my past that I had to learn to grow out of it. I can't help but wonder if others had this same type of self-reflection (although I feel like humans seldom like to admit when they were toxic and/or "bad" people...)
Things That We're BIG NOPES:
- There were so many moments where it felt like the author was trying "too hard" to craft Ken Z into this quirky bookworm nerd... the amount of similes and metaphors woven into his internal thoughts was far too much for my liking. After I looked into the author's background and saw his focus is primarily poetry, this made sense to me, but in the moment I was very thrown off by the FORCED "intellectual monologues" that occurred.
- The author literally... spells... everything... out... By throwing in so much "social justice language" it inevitably becomes jargon-y and in reality, no one talks like this. Yes my close circle and I believe in the liberation of all peoples and have very social justice-minded values... but do we address discuss issues as depicted in this text? NO??? Everything is spelled out as if it is an ethnic studies reading or essay.
- The usage of the "r-slur" out of NO WHERE as an insult ??? This was LITERALLY published in 2019 in the United States, there is ZERO excuse for this.
- CaZZ being trans was a diversity token. That's it. There was 0 development of her character nor did she receive any role other than being the "trans person who faced extreme trauma but is still surviving and now chooses to be outspoken". I also think it's ridiculous that the author is setting this in the Philippines and alludes to colonization but still abides by Westernized standards of genders and said "CaZZ should have been born with two XXs" ... gender is far more than sex ???
- Reading CaZZ's character PLUS with the incorporation of astrology and millenial humor just screams that the author is a privileged cis gay man trying to be relevant to younger LGBTQ audiences but fails terribly.
- The fact that Ken's friends forced him to come out (not with his sexuality, but with his mental health and processing) is so toxic??? It was wrong for Ken to not give any notice, but it was also just as wrong for the friends to literally CORNER him into sharing more about his depressive episode. No one is owned an explanation. He should not have to explain his mental health if he does not want to disclose it.
Quotes that got me through this book:
- Me: Actually it feels good to have another person in my small universe.
Oscar: Your world, Ken Z, is larger than you thought. It has always been. And now, with Ran, it's become even larger.
Me: Because of him?
Oscar: Because of love, dear heart. Because of love.
-"I remember; I wrote it down. I don't let words like that get away from me. They mean too much. Like that lingering hug he gave me before walking away."
- "What's happening to me? One minute, I'm writing a list to stretch happiness a little longer... The next, I'm writing a list to keep myself from drowning."
- "like ghosts, that we thought we had forgotten or already made peace with, memories that we never wanted and that continue to punish us by making us crave and wish we were doing more than just remembering."
For the bio that compare this to Elizabeth Acevedo's The Poet X -- How could one write such a lie...
This book definitely had me changing my opinion every couple of pages... One minute I was so excited at the prospect of LGBTQ Filipino stories (spoiler: as a non-binary Filipino-American, I was very let-down), the next I thought the "Wilde" concept was being pushed too hard, after I wondered if I had misunderstood the entirety of the plot, then got suckered as a hopeless romantic but annoyed at the entire dialogue and myself, and finally ending with general content but still feeling "eh". I wasn't looking for some life changing analysis of what it's like to be LGBTQ and Filipino, but if that is advertised as the crux of the plot, of course I am going to have some expectations going in... Sad to say most expectations were not met.
Things that were not bad
- I felt exposed lol. I was absolutely OVER Ken Z's character and found him whiny, impractical, asking too many questions, drawing too many hypotheticals, too many abstract thoughts with overthinking, prioritizing someone he just met over people he'd known for years, not valuing his single mother -- then I realized this was definitely a previous version of myself, especially around the time when I was in my first long-term relationship. I hated his character because it held some of the ugliest parts of my past that I had to learn to grow out of it. I can't help but wonder if others had this same type of self-reflection (although I feel like humans seldom like to admit when they were toxic and/or "bad" people...)
Things That We're BIG NOPES:
- There were so many moments where it felt like the author was trying "too hard" to craft Ken Z into this quirky bookworm nerd... the amount of similes and metaphors woven into his internal thoughts was far too much for my liking. After I looked into the author's background and saw his focus is primarily poetry, this made sense to me, but in the moment I was very thrown off by the FORCED "intellectual monologues" that occurred.
- The author literally... spells... everything... out... By throwing in so much "social justice language" it inevitably becomes jargon-y and in reality, no one talks like this. Yes my close circle and I believe in the liberation of all peoples and have very social justice-minded values... but do we address discuss issues as depicted in this text? NO??? Everything is spelled out as if it is an ethnic studies reading or essay.
- The usage of the "r-slur" out of NO WHERE as an insult ??? This was LITERALLY published in 2019 in the United States, there is ZERO excuse for this.
- CaZZ being trans was a diversity token. That's it. There was 0 development of her character nor did she receive any role other than being the "trans person who faced extreme trauma but is still surviving and now chooses to be outspoken". I also think it's ridiculous that the author is setting this in the Philippines and alludes to colonization but still abides by Westernized standards of genders and said "CaZZ should have been born with two XXs" ... gender is far more than sex ???
- Reading CaZZ's character PLUS with the incorporation of astrology and millenial humor just screams that the author is a privileged cis gay man trying to be relevant to younger LGBTQ audiences but fails terribly.
- The fact that Ken's friends forced him to come out (not with his sexuality, but with his mental health and processing) is so toxic??? It was wrong for Ken to not give any notice, but it was also just as wrong for the friends to literally CORNER him into sharing more about his depressive episode. No one is owned an explanation. He should not have to explain his mental health if he does not want to disclose it.
Quotes that got me through this book:
- Me: Actually it feels good to have another person in my small universe.
Oscar: Your world, Ken Z, is larger than you thought. It has always been. And now, with Ran, it's become even larger.
Me: Because of him?
Oscar: Because of love, dear heart. Because of love.
-"I remember; I wrote it down. I don't let words like that get away from me. They mean too much. Like that lingering hug he gave me before walking away."
- "What's happening to me? One minute, I'm writing a list to stretch happiness a little longer... The next, I'm writing a list to keep myself from drowning."
- "like ghosts, that we thought we had forgotten or already made peace with, memories that we never wanted and that continue to punish us by making us crave and wish we were doing more than just remembering."
September 2, 2019
Well it certainly was different. Stocked with poetry and dystopian prophecy.
The first half had meet cute, romance, intrigue. The second had despair and longing and oppression. The concluding half had...nope, only two halves, people.
It was quick but I can’t say good after Ran ran. It could have been so much more.
The fictional world of a poor but free country taken over by a warring neighbor is powerful. Unfortunately this book became muddled between visions of conversations with Oscar Wilde, haikus, big brother creeping in, and loss. And let’s end on some depressing Wilde info too!
Using literary figures can add profundity or distraction. Despite some beautiful prose and quotes here and there, this was the latter.
The first half had meet cute, romance, intrigue. The second had despair and longing and oppression. The concluding half had...nope, only two halves, people.
It was quick but I can’t say good after Ran ran. It could have been so much more.
The fictional world of a poor but free country taken over by a warring neighbor is powerful. Unfortunately this book became muddled between visions of conversations with Oscar Wilde, haikus, big brother creeping in, and loss. And let’s end on some depressing Wilde info too!
Using literary figures can add profundity or distraction. Despite some beautiful prose and quotes here and there, this was the latter.
August 12, 2019
3.5/5 Rounded up to 4.
I adored this book. It was so quirky and wonderful and at the heart so very, very, Wilde-esque.
Ken is a young man who loves Oscar Wilde, lists, Haikus, his mom and his friends. But is there more to life? His world expanded the day he meets Ran, a young man with a Dorian Gray vibe from North Kristol.
This book is made up of Ken's thoughts, whether he's speculating with Oscar Wilde himself, writing a haiku, poem, or list, or showing us insight into his life as a high school senior in South Kristol.
Young love is always wonderful and painful and full of twists and turns and Ken shows us this while combining the fact that for some it's harder than for others. Not just because of orientation but because sometimes it can be hard to let someone in, and sometimes there's no closure other than what you can make yourself.
Loved this read, definitely for fans of Oscar Wilde and speculative/introspective fiction.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest review.
I adored this book. It was so quirky and wonderful and at the heart so very, very, Wilde-esque.
Ken is a young man who loves Oscar Wilde, lists, Haikus, his mom and his friends. But is there more to life? His world expanded the day he meets Ran, a young man with a Dorian Gray vibe from North Kristol.
This book is made up of Ken's thoughts, whether he's speculating with Oscar Wilde himself, writing a haiku, poem, or list, or showing us insight into his life as a high school senior in South Kristol.
Young love is always wonderful and painful and full of twists and turns and Ken shows us this while combining the fact that for some it's harder than for others. Not just because of orientation but because sometimes it can be hard to let someone in, and sometimes there's no closure other than what you can make yourself.
Loved this read, definitely for fans of Oscar Wilde and speculative/introspective fiction.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest review.
May 12, 2019
This novel was a harrowing account of first love; something that changes your life and opens your eyes to the world around you. We go through life feeding off of love from our parents, our friends, and then when we find that first someone that sets our heart aflame it is an experience unlike no other. We follow Ken Z, who is slowly figuring out who he is with the help of his mentor: Oscar Wilde.
Through Wilde’s influence, he decides to ‘bunbury’ one day; heading to the other side of the territory he lives in which is much nicer yet more strict. He pretends to be an archeologist on a tight budget and gets to see how the other half lives. While he’s there, he meets Ran, who sits down with him at a restaurant and talks to him about Oscar Wilde. They become fast friends despite the distance between them.
They visit each other and their bonds deepen, with Ken Z having fantastical chats with his hero for guidance. Oscar Wilde leads him to the realization that they are more alike than they think. Ken Z and Ran fall in love fast and hard, until one day when Ran went away. It happened with no warning, no bang but a whimper. Ken Z was left grieving and started pushing away everyone in his life, including Oscar.
By the end of the novel, Ken Z began to make amends with his friends, his favorite author, and himself. It was a touching tale with so many different types of storytelling devices, which really excited me because I love variations on traditional storytelling! We had essays, haikus, poems, lists, emails, and ‘Zaps’ (like Snapchat messages). I also loved all the little tidbits about Oscar Wilde’s life. I feel like I know him so much better now because of Ken Z.
Through Wilde’s influence, he decides to ‘bunbury’ one day; heading to the other side of the territory he lives in which is much nicer yet more strict. He pretends to be an archeologist on a tight budget and gets to see how the other half lives. While he’s there, he meets Ran, who sits down with him at a restaurant and talks to him about Oscar Wilde. They become fast friends despite the distance between them.
They visit each other and their bonds deepen, with Ken Z having fantastical chats with his hero for guidance. Oscar Wilde leads him to the realization that they are more alike than they think. Ken Z and Ran fall in love fast and hard, until one day when Ran went away. It happened with no warning, no bang but a whimper. Ken Z was left grieving and started pushing away everyone in his life, including Oscar.
By the end of the novel, Ken Z began to make amends with his friends, his favorite author, and himself. It was a touching tale with so many different types of storytelling devices, which really excited me because I love variations on traditional storytelling! We had essays, haikus, poems, lists, emails, and ‘Zaps’ (like Snapchat messages). I also loved all the little tidbits about Oscar Wilde’s life. I feel like I know him so much better now because of Ken Z.
October 19, 2022
i loved it!!! everything is so earnestly felt: the headlong rush of falling in love, the immediate crash of heartbreak, the endless internal conversations you have to figure out why, and the friends waiting patiently for you to return. the subtle details about military rule + banned books
+ queerphobia make room for ken z's heartache, but remind us that sometimes it's really no one's fault when people leave you, or just can't love you when you want them to. the kind of YA that reminds me of myself and makes me wanna give the kids a big big hug
+ queerphobia make room for ken z's heartache, but remind us that sometimes it's really no one's fault when people leave you, or just can't love you when you want them to. the kind of YA that reminds me of myself and makes me wanna give the kids a big big hug
July 18, 2019
This review and many others can also be found at Musings of a (Book) Girl.
I’m not entirely sure what I just read. The synopsis for The Importance of Being Wilde at Heart makes the bold claim that this novel is for fans of Adam Silvera and Elizabeth Acevedo, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I saw no similarities and was quite disappointed. If you’re going to compare a title to other books, please make sure you are choosing similar things.
Maybe it’s because I’m not familiar with Oscar Wilde, but this was an incredibly confusing story. I’m not entirely sure what the point of all it was. The author did include some important narratives on subjects such as gender identity, peer acceptance, and the class system, but it was all jam-packed into only a few parts instead of being themes carried throughout the book as a whole.
It also felt like Linmark was attempting to cram too much into this novel. There were almost too many themes spread out. At one point the Oscar Wilde book club is talking about homosexuality and what it was like for queer people in the 1800s then suddenly their biggest concerned is the banning of books. Nothing felt constant enough to matter.
The reader is also never able to get to know the characters well enough. We’re given hardly any background information and don’t find anything out about them except for that they all love Oscar Wilde. Maybe I’m a different type of reader, but I need more to go on. I can’t just know characters for a brief moment, I need to understand what brought them to this point and feel like I know them well enough to have an idea of where they’d go from here.
R. Zamora Linmark was originally a poet and playwright and unfortunately, his writing style just doesn’t translate well to YA. His flowery writing is too confusing. There are a lot of extra words for the reader to sift through to figure out the simple point that is trying to be made. There’s no clear or concise reason for why this particular story is being told. It just kind of is. Honestly, if this hadn’t been a review copy that I felt obligated to read, I probably would have DNFed it.
A digital ARC was provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I’m not entirely sure what I just read. The synopsis for The Importance of Being Wilde at Heart makes the bold claim that this novel is for fans of Adam Silvera and Elizabeth Acevedo, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I saw no similarities and was quite disappointed. If you’re going to compare a title to other books, please make sure you are choosing similar things.
Maybe it’s because I’m not familiar with Oscar Wilde, but this was an incredibly confusing story. I’m not entirely sure what the point of all it was. The author did include some important narratives on subjects such as gender identity, peer acceptance, and the class system, but it was all jam-packed into only a few parts instead of being themes carried throughout the book as a whole.
It also felt like Linmark was attempting to cram too much into this novel. There were almost too many themes spread out. At one point the Oscar Wilde book club is talking about homosexuality and what it was like for queer people in the 1800s then suddenly their biggest concerned is the banning of books. Nothing felt constant enough to matter.
The reader is also never able to get to know the characters well enough. We’re given hardly any background information and don’t find anything out about them except for that they all love Oscar Wilde. Maybe I’m a different type of reader, but I need more to go on. I can’t just know characters for a brief moment, I need to understand what brought them to this point and feel like I know them well enough to have an idea of where they’d go from here.
R. Zamora Linmark was originally a poet and playwright and unfortunately, his writing style just doesn’t translate well to YA. His flowery writing is too confusing. There are a lot of extra words for the reader to sift through to figure out the simple point that is trying to be made. There’s no clear or concise reason for why this particular story is being told. It just kind of is. Honestly, if this hadn’t been a review copy that I felt obligated to read, I probably would have DNFed it.
A digital ARC was provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 5, 2020
I loved this book for several reasons [SPOILERS]:
1) Representation matters!!! I wish I had a book like this available to me in high school, or perhaps I just wasn't aware at the time. It was a realistic first-love story, going through the range of emotions that come with grieving, especially at an age where people are trying to figure out who the heck they are. There is also a heavy theme of the importance of community in contrast with isolation.
2) It shows a glimpse of the reality of the world we live in with the imagined North and South representing various world relationships that exist. Linmark does a great job of incorporating the realities of living in colonized/militarized/heavily toured spaces and how that manifests on the day-to-day.
3) I loved the different styles of writing that he incorporated. Between haikus, email/Zapp exchanges, lists, letter writing, diary entries, play scripts, etc, in my opinion the reader is able to understand on a deeper level the emotions that are being felt––the hurt, the anger, the fear, and the JOY.
4) It shows that love stories are love stories. Coming of age is coming of age. And to believe that someone else is not capable of either and all that comes with it because of race, gender, sexuality is bananas. This is not to dismiss discrimination that is faced by various communities, but rather to emphasize why books like this are important!
1) Representation matters!!! I wish I had a book like this available to me in high school, or perhaps I just wasn't aware at the time. It was a realistic first-love story, going through the range of emotions that come with grieving, especially at an age where people are trying to figure out who the heck they are. There is also a heavy theme of the importance of community in contrast with isolation.
2) It shows a glimpse of the reality of the world we live in with the imagined North and South representing various world relationships that exist. Linmark does a great job of incorporating the realities of living in colonized/militarized/heavily toured spaces and how that manifests on the day-to-day.
3) I loved the different styles of writing that he incorporated. Between haikus, email/Zapp exchanges, lists, letter writing, diary entries, play scripts, etc, in my opinion the reader is able to understand on a deeper level the emotions that are being felt––the hurt, the anger, the fear, and the JOY.
4) It shows that love stories are love stories. Coming of age is coming of age. And to believe that someone else is not capable of either and all that comes with it because of race, gender, sexuality is bananas. This is not to dismiss discrimination that is faced by various communities, but rather to emphasize why books like this are important!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2019
About to waste the better part of an hour Googling the connection between Oscar Wilde and haiku, I changed my mind in favor of contemplating Ken Z's potential for becoming "Wilde at Heart." The prose story parts of this novel are pretty good; there is a lot of valid discussion of gender identity, class differences, and acceptance. While we've come so far, especially from Victorian England standards, there is more road ahead of us. But then the plot broke down into one lamenting self-imposed jail sentence with a fictitious messaging system called Zap, too many unsent emails, and one confusing haiku after another. The story was not straightforward. As a story for the YA market, I'm not sure I have an audience for this book. It is like an ocean; tremendously deep at some points and shipwrecking shallow at the others. I think the YA audience would get lost at sea.
October 9, 2019
With the guiding spirit of Oscar Wilde, Ken Z navigates first love, heartbreak and identity. Love this beautiful and poetically written novel!
March 5, 2020
i genuinely love linmark's writing. i was deeply impressed by his incredible use of language as well as attack on language in rolling the r's, and went into this book eager to see how linmark would continue to play with language, especially when the title is a clear wordplay on oscar wilde like woo! i was anticipating wit and sarcasm and just a whole lot of social commentary on language that would hit me right in the gut. well, it didn't really live up to my expectations.
the social commentary is there and i appreciate that the book tries to bring in issues of gender, sexuality, education, politics of language, and geopolitics; however, the execution is a bit clumsy, in my opinion. i prefer how rolling the r's does this through the subtlety in the characters' very overt emotions. here, the characters are young, emotionally intense, super socially aware, and just in general very precocious. while i'm not saying the portrayal of complex teenagers who are both naïve and sharp in the book is unrealistic, it makes the book's overall vibe a bit too juvenile for my personal liking. i think my main issue is that ken z's extremely melodramatic personality undermines whatever discourse that the book is trying to provoke. perhaps some will say that despite their heightened social awareness, teenagers are, at the end of the day, emotional messes. and i agree. however, the characters also deliver astonishingly keen and sober social observations at the same time they're experiencing emotional distress. the dissonance is a bit too much for me, and makes the book seem a bit wishy-washy, like linmark wants to go all out on the YA genre but also wants to incorporate discourse into the book, and i think the product is a bit clumsy.
that being said, i love the characters, the play with language, the melodramatic angst, and of course, how beautifully it's written. if this is a purely YA piece without such overt political commentary, i think i would've enjoyed it infinitely more. like this writing reminds me of fanfiction, the Great type, the could-be-published type, and i'd read the heck out of that. the poems are also stunning, and perhaps the highlights for me in this book. i'd definitely check out some more of his poetry after this!!
the social commentary is there and i appreciate that the book tries to bring in issues of gender, sexuality, education, politics of language, and geopolitics; however, the execution is a bit clumsy, in my opinion. i prefer how rolling the r's does this through the subtlety in the characters' very overt emotions. here, the characters are young, emotionally intense, super socially aware, and just in general very precocious. while i'm not saying the portrayal of complex teenagers who are both naïve and sharp in the book is unrealistic, it makes the book's overall vibe a bit too juvenile for my personal liking. i think my main issue is that ken z's extremely melodramatic personality undermines whatever discourse that the book is trying to provoke. perhaps some will say that despite their heightened social awareness, teenagers are, at the end of the day, emotional messes. and i agree. however, the characters also deliver astonishingly keen and sober social observations at the same time they're experiencing emotional distress. the dissonance is a bit too much for me, and makes the book seem a bit wishy-washy, like linmark wants to go all out on the YA genre but also wants to incorporate discourse into the book, and i think the product is a bit clumsy.
that being said, i love the characters, the play with language, the melodramatic angst, and of course, how beautifully it's written. if this is a purely YA piece without such overt political commentary, i think i would've enjoyed it infinitely more. like this writing reminds me of fanfiction, the Great type, the could-be-published type, and i'd read the heck out of that. the poems are also stunning, and perhaps the highlights for me in this book. i'd definitely check out some more of his poetry after this!!
November 2, 2019
This one is a 3.5 for me, and I'm still thinking about it two weeks after I finished reading it. I even had to look up "Kristol," the name of the island country where the story takes place to see if it is real. It turns out that it isn't, and it's imaginary although at times I felt that the setting had much in common with North and South Korea. Ken Z adores words and the works of Oscar Wilde--hence, the book's title--and he is fortunate enough to have two friends, CaZZ and Estelle, who always have his back. They're all members of a book discussion group devoted to Wilde's works and led by Ken Z's favorite teacher. When Ken is on an outing to the mall, he meets Ran, a handsome teen from the north of the island. The two boys find that they have quite a lot in common, and they fall in love with Ran dropping by for visits. But Ran asks Ken to keep their relationship secret, partly because of the oppressive regime in the north. After sharing kisses, caresses, and several tender moments and promises of the future, Ran disappears, leaving Ken to pick up the pieces and repair his relationship with his friends, fractured by his silence and keeping Ran a secret from them. Readers will certainly relate to the delight and pain of first love and first loss while appreciating the delicate haiku that expresses some of Ken's feelings. While it's frustrating not to know what happened and why Ran doesn't return or say goodbye, that adds to the book's poignancy and makes each moment that much more special. Amid all this, the discussion group and the literature being studied at the local high school come under threat as well. I loved The Beautiful Things List that concludes the book, and feel inspired to write one of my own in order to remember the joy that came with that first love even though it is so very far away and long out of reach. My heart was broken by this book since I hoped so much that these two boys had found each other and would live happily ever after. Is it better to have loved and lost? Readers will need to judge for themselves.
July 30, 2019
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
3 stars
I absolutely loved the writing style of this story and I think that was the only thing that I loved about it. I really wanted to like this book more since I am a HUGE Oscar Wilde fan (not as much as Ken Z but still). I loved the haikus, the vignettes, the conversations between Ken Z and Oscar, but there was something lacking in this storytelling.
I was so frustrated with Ken Z and his friends because they didn’t even try to understand him, and he never gave them a chance to. He skipped out on one movie and suddenly it was the end of the world for them. Ugh.
What also irked me was the way that these characters talked. It felt inauthentic and it annoyed me most of the time. Especially when Cazz used the word “r*tard*d”. I absolutely hated that. What was realistic about this book was the love story between Ran and Ken Z, especially in the setting similar to North and South Korea. I wished we would have seen more of them and see more of Ran’s point of view. I’m sure he had so much going through his head and I really wanted to pick his brain.
While this book definitely had some negatives, I want to look at the positives.
The Oscar Wilde references were EVERYTHING! and I thought it was so cute that they had a book club dedicated to him! The writing style again was my favorite part of this book because it kept me on my toes and it kept me reading. I was never discouraged to read and was never bored of it because of the way the author wrote this book. Not a lot of people prefer it, but I think it was a nice touch to a book dedicated to Oscar Wilde.
All in all, a story with so much potential, but needed work :/ I’m sad that I didn’t enjoy this more, but I did enjoy it!
3 stars
I absolutely loved the writing style of this story and I think that was the only thing that I loved about it. I really wanted to like this book more since I am a HUGE Oscar Wilde fan (not as much as Ken Z but still). I loved the haikus, the vignettes, the conversations between Ken Z and Oscar, but there was something lacking in this storytelling.
I was so frustrated with Ken Z and his friends because they didn’t even try to understand him, and he never gave them a chance to. He skipped out on one movie and suddenly it was the end of the world for them. Ugh.
What also irked me was the way that these characters talked. It felt inauthentic and it annoyed me most of the time. Especially when Cazz used the word “r*tard*d”. I absolutely hated that. What was realistic about this book was the love story between Ran and Ken Z, especially in the setting similar to North and South Korea. I wished we would have seen more of them and see more of Ran’s point of view. I’m sure he had so much going through his head and I really wanted to pick his brain.
While this book definitely had some negatives, I want to look at the positives.
The Oscar Wilde references were EVERYTHING! and I thought it was so cute that they had a book club dedicated to him! The writing style again was my favorite part of this book because it kept me on my toes and it kept me reading. I was never discouraged to read and was never bored of it because of the way the author wrote this book. Not a lot of people prefer it, but I think it was a nice touch to a book dedicated to Oscar Wilde.
All in all, a story with so much potential, but needed work :/ I’m sad that I didn’t enjoy this more, but I did enjoy it!
August 29, 2019
Fans of Oscar Wilde will love this novel because of all the Wilde references in the story. The main character, Ken Z, is a Wilde fan and meets another while bunburying (i.e., taking on another identity while visiting a place where you are not well-known). Ran lives on the other side of the island and has a completely different living experience to Ken Z. The relationship between the two boys is at times confusing for Ken Z. who then turns to Wilde for advice in his imagination.
Linmark has created a world which exists on an island and is designated the North and South. The North is affluent and has many advantages including the airport, the military, free schooling, and the ability to move freely anywhere on the island. The South is poorer and is dependent on the North for many things. Even though the people in the South cannot visit the North without permission, they do enjoy more personal freedoms than those living in the North. It was interesting to make the comparison between Linmark’s created world and the society in which we live and to see how the author is subtly criticising our own world.
Linmark also makes references to prejudices in our society against the minorities when describing CaZZ, a transgender person; as well as makings references to a racial group minority when describing the culture of Cazz’s heritage.
The Importance of Being Wilde At Heart is a novel which does refer to many important social issues as well as LGBT ones. Linmark creates a world that mirrors our own – even in terms of social media and the manner in which teens interact. I did, however, find the novel to be a slow read. The chapters are broken up with images of text messages or references from Wilde’s work. These interruptions, while interesting, did not help increase the pacing of the novel.
This novel is not one of my favourites and, for me, it was an okay read.
Linmark has created a world which exists on an island and is designated the North and South. The North is affluent and has many advantages including the airport, the military, free schooling, and the ability to move freely anywhere on the island. The South is poorer and is dependent on the North for many things. Even though the people in the South cannot visit the North without permission, they do enjoy more personal freedoms than those living in the North. It was interesting to make the comparison between Linmark’s created world and the society in which we live and to see how the author is subtly criticising our own world.
Linmark also makes references to prejudices in our society against the minorities when describing CaZZ, a transgender person; as well as makings references to a racial group minority when describing the culture of Cazz’s heritage.
The Importance of Being Wilde At Heart is a novel which does refer to many important social issues as well as LGBT ones. Linmark creates a world that mirrors our own – even in terms of social media and the manner in which teens interact. I did, however, find the novel to be a slow read. The chapters are broken up with images of text messages or references from Wilde’s work. These interruptions, while interesting, did not help increase the pacing of the novel.
This novel is not one of my favourites and, for me, it was an okay read.
March 15, 2021
Maybe it's because I relate to Ken Z, or Oscar Wilde, or both. Maybe it's because I'm still just a few years out of the target age range, and I recently got out of a relationship. Either way, I thought this book was incredible on several levels.
I had just finished reading Leche and Rolling the R's, so there's a chance that the previous exposure to R. Zamora Linmark's writing style outside of the YA context helped me understand and love this book the way I did.
I wouldn't necessarily call the worlds of North and South Kristol "dystopian," because I don't think that the author describes anything that isn't already an aspect of existing international relations today. In fact, the dystopian comparisons posed by high school seniors in the book mirror a lot of real-life sentiment from the target audience of this book.
I think it was important that the book was mostly based in Ken Z's perceptions of his experience and those around him, because I think that opens up a very personal connection, especially since so much of his writings are very real and emotional. In addition, R. Zamora Linmark's talent for poetry shines through in beautiful poems that serve as direct reactions to the intertwined prose.
I will say that I think this is definitely a book for the older side of the YA age range, and I do have a couple issues with it. I would've liked to see more of CaZZ and Estelle in place of Ran, and the use of the r-slur was something that could of easily been avoided.
I had just finished reading Leche and Rolling the R's, so there's a chance that the previous exposure to R. Zamora Linmark's writing style outside of the YA context helped me understand and love this book the way I did.
I wouldn't necessarily call the worlds of North and South Kristol "dystopian," because I don't think that the author describes anything that isn't already an aspect of existing international relations today. In fact, the dystopian comparisons posed by high school seniors in the book mirror a lot of real-life sentiment from the target audience of this book.
I think it was important that the book was mostly based in Ken Z's perceptions of his experience and those around him, because I think that opens up a very personal connection, especially since so much of his writings are very real and emotional. In addition, R. Zamora Linmark's talent for poetry shines through in beautiful poems that serve as direct reactions to the intertwined prose.
I will say that I think this is definitely a book for the older side of the YA age range, and I do have a couple issues with it. I would've liked to see more of CaZZ and Estelle in place of Ran, and the use of the r-slur was something that could of easily been avoided.
February 20, 2021
3.8/5 stars
*likes*
- i actually really liked this novel. in terms of the writing, i loved the literary references to oscar wilde. i also thought the mix between poetry, prose and dialogue between oscar and ken z.
- it was super fast and easy to read, since many of the pages were haikus (not complaining though! i thought it was a really insightful way to tell the story)
- i think it covered a lot of important topics, like censorship and government control, which i wasn't expecting. i think it dealt with them well. it painted a clear picture of south and north kristol
- i thought overall the writing was super nice and i just loved the mixed media
- ken z! i thought his character was really nicely laid out and i felt like i was getting a look inside of his head. he felt 3-d to me because of the conversations between him and oscar wilde
*dislikes*
- ran!!!! he was just a little annoying and i didn't find myself warming up to him. i couldn't understand why ken z liked him so much, and their relationship just felt a little rushed. i thought ran's character was pretty badly developed too.
- the ending,,,,spoiler alert!!!! do not read down if you don't want to see spoilers!
SPOILERS!
i didn't like that we never received closure on what actually happened to ran, and that thing about the voicemail just made no sense because it was never elaborated on. if I've missed something let me know though!!
*likes*
- i actually really liked this novel. in terms of the writing, i loved the literary references to oscar wilde. i also thought the mix between poetry, prose and dialogue between oscar and ken z.
- it was super fast and easy to read, since many of the pages were haikus (not complaining though! i thought it was a really insightful way to tell the story)
- i think it covered a lot of important topics, like censorship and government control, which i wasn't expecting. i think it dealt with them well. it painted a clear picture of south and north kristol
- i thought overall the writing was super nice and i just loved the mixed media
- ken z! i thought his character was really nicely laid out and i felt like i was getting a look inside of his head. he felt 3-d to me because of the conversations between him and oscar wilde
*dislikes*
- ran!!!! he was just a little annoying and i didn't find myself warming up to him. i couldn't understand why ken z liked him so much, and their relationship just felt a little rushed. i thought ran's character was pretty badly developed too.
- the ending,,,,spoiler alert!!!! do not read down if you don't want to see spoilers!
SPOILERS!
i didn't like that we never received closure on what actually happened to ran, and that thing about the voicemail just made no sense because it was never elaborated on. if I've missed something let me know though!!
October 1, 2019
diverse teen lgbtq+ fiction (indigenous local 17-y.o. boy starts relationship with mysterious 17 y.o. boy from the rich/tourist/fancy end of fictional post-colonial dystopian pacific island nation; author hails from the Philippines and Hawaii).
I read to page 192 (over halfway) but really wasn't enjoying this as much as I'd hoped. It definitely is "quirky" (haiku snapchats and lots of imagined convos with Oscar Wilde) and the queer inclusivity is excellent, but had trouble connecting with the characters. Between the dystopian world-building (sort of an alternate reality crammed right next to our current reality) and the disjointed communications between characters that are able to meet so rarely, the writing felt pretty all-over-the-place.
Would recommend instead: We Contain Multitudes, which is much more readable--letters (and later, love letters) traded between a hard-shelled, ex-jock super-senior (should have graduated last year but was kept back) and a picked-on sophomore who is openly gay and who dresses like Walt Whitman on purpose).
I read to page 192 (over halfway) but really wasn't enjoying this as much as I'd hoped. It definitely is "quirky" (haiku snapchats and lots of imagined convos with Oscar Wilde) and the queer inclusivity is excellent, but had trouble connecting with the characters. Between the dystopian world-building (sort of an alternate reality crammed right next to our current reality) and the disjointed communications between characters that are able to meet so rarely, the writing felt pretty all-over-the-place.
Would recommend instead: We Contain Multitudes, which is much more readable--letters (and later, love letters) traded between a hard-shelled, ex-jock super-senior (should have graduated last year but was kept back) and a picked-on sophomore who is openly gay and who dresses like Walt Whitman on purpose).
December 5, 2019
Ken Z is a member of an Oscar Wilde book club at his high school in South Kristol. A self-proclaimed geek, Ken Z is enamored of Wilde, the man, and his literature, as well as the wisdom and honesty expressed in his writings. When Ken meets Ran, who is from North Kristol (the richer, more educated, and stricter half of the island nation they live in), Wilde's advice on life and love leap off the pages. So much so, that Wilde and Ken have actual conversations in which Wilde dispenses advice. Ken's feelings about Ran grow into love. Ken realizes that he's gay (perhaps) and that there will be obstacles in the path of this love he and Ran have for each other, not the least of which is the fact that they live under two different governments with two separate agendas. Full of prose, haikus and lists, the author beautifully tells the story of two high school seniors on the brink of starting their independent lives and loves. Themes of violence toward anyone who is "different," gender questioning and identity, and (mildly portrayed) kissing scenes with two men, may make this a high-school selection. Oscar Wilde fans will learn much about their man from the research and timeline revealed at the end of the book.
June 9, 2020
This book is like wow...Cultural diferences and how roots are diferents, but almost from the same country, I am so infactuared with this book, I wish I couldn't have any online classes and finish it rigth the way, and how is so cute when a someone has a first love in high school...I have to say this book has a lot of emotions with the main Character Kan Z, because his first crush, love and guy friend makes him to hate him, all this emotions is because of the circustamces of life you can't talk to the person you love or even worst some people get into this and they seperated one another because is wrong, or because they are jelous to see someon happy with the person that you love the most, and Oscar Wilde in this book makes a lot of contrast and most important the learning of controling emotions, remorse, saddness, depresion, selfsteem is pretty diverse and this book makes me feel that we are vunerable and that's okay because we are humans and we deserve a real love and true love.
I think this book is the most wiser book that I have never expect it to be...it is hard to deal with your heart broken and it is hard to embrace what you feel and all these feelings, and doesn't matter how long is going to take but they will be healed and start again.
I am greatfull that I read this book because this book is a way to embrace someone's love that you can move on and never forget them.
I think this book is the most wiser book that I have never expect it to be...it is hard to deal with your heart broken and it is hard to embrace what you feel and all these feelings, and doesn't matter how long is going to take but they will be healed and start again.
I am greatfull that I read this book because this book is a way to embrace someone's love that you can move on and never forget them.
August 16, 2019
Ken Z is obsessed with his literary hero, Oscar Wilde, so when a Dorian Gray lookalike interrupts him while reading at the mall, he’s understandably stunned. Ran, too, admits to loving Wilde, and the two teens fall into a whirlwind spring break romance. But when break ends, Ran starts to ghost Ken Z. Heartbroken and confused, Ken Z takes solace in the only thing that has ever comforted him - the power of words.
Part poetry, part prose, and sometimes script, this was a truly unique book. Not a whole lot happens, plot-wise, but anyone experiencing their first love and heartbreak will relate to Ken Z. I don’t think this is for every teen, but it will resonate with bookish types who often feel like outcasts. That being said, it felt like this took on a lot of issues (economic disparity, censorship, war, bullying, homophobia) and only addressed them half-heartedly.
Part poetry, part prose, and sometimes script, this was a truly unique book. Not a whole lot happens, plot-wise, but anyone experiencing their first love and heartbreak will relate to Ken Z. I don’t think this is for every teen, but it will resonate with bookish types who often feel like outcasts. That being said, it felt like this took on a lot of issues (economic disparity, censorship, war, bullying, homophobia) and only addressed them half-heartedly.
October 2, 2019
Recommend with a shrug
On the first day of spring break, Ken Z is bunburying (an Oscar Wilde term) at the super fancy mall. He meets Ran and they bond over their shared love of Oscar Wilde. The next week is a whirlwind of time together including hand holding and even some kisses. Ken Z writes lots of haiku and makes lots of lists and daydreams about Ran. But when spring break is over, Ran mysteriously disappears and Ken Z is heart broken.
The setting is a weird hybrid of known and unknown - it references Hawaii and other Pacific islands but is set in North and South Kristol. Oscar Wilde somehow makes appearances throughout the book as well. However, Ken Z's interest in Ran and heartbreak are real and vivid, the depiction of what could happen in a society that forbids LGBTQ relationships is also realistic.
Grades 9 and up for interest
On the first day of spring break, Ken Z is bunburying (an Oscar Wilde term) at the super fancy mall. He meets Ran and they bond over their shared love of Oscar Wilde. The next week is a whirlwind of time together including hand holding and even some kisses. Ken Z writes lots of haiku and makes lots of lists and daydreams about Ran. But when spring break is over, Ran mysteriously disappears and Ken Z is heart broken.
The setting is a weird hybrid of known and unknown - it references Hawaii and other Pacific islands but is set in North and South Kristol. Oscar Wilde somehow makes appearances throughout the book as well. However, Ken Z's interest in Ran and heartbreak are real and vivid, the depiction of what could happen in a society that forbids LGBTQ relationships is also realistic.
Grades 9 and up for interest
October 28, 2019
DNF 21%. This book has so many mistakes and I only read like two chapters.
First of all, Oscar never wrote “the love that dare not speak its name”, Lord Alfred did. It’s from a poem called “Two loves”. Also, Oscar didn’t write “The ballad of Reading Gaol” in prison, he wrote it AFTER. And yes, it’s important. He wrote it while he was in exile.
Some people don’t get it, loving a historical figure isn’t enough. You have to educate yourself, you cannot write something and except people to nod. Also, the main character goes to a book club about Oscar Wilde but doesn’t know anything about one of his most important works, “De profundis”?? It doesn’t make sense, really.
Disappointed? Yes. Surprised? No, not at all.
First of all, Oscar never wrote “the love that dare not speak its name”, Lord Alfred did. It’s from a poem called “Two loves”. Also, Oscar didn’t write “The ballad of Reading Gaol” in prison, he wrote it AFTER. And yes, it’s important. He wrote it while he was in exile.
Some people don’t get it, loving a historical figure isn’t enough. You have to educate yourself, you cannot write something and except people to nod. Also, the main character goes to a book club about Oscar Wilde but doesn’t know anything about one of his most important works, “De profundis”?? It doesn’t make sense, really.
Disappointed? Yes. Surprised? No, not at all.
staying-away
May 12, 2022The writing grates my eyes.
This is just too cringey for me. I like Oscar Wilde just as much as the next person. But this is way too much. The main character loves Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde's character) so much that the second he sees someone that looks like him, that's is all we hear about. And of course, the guy acts like Dorian Gray too. Ken Z writes to Oscar (Oscar loves calling him dear boy), visits with him, and dreams about him.
I hate the names used: Ken Z, CaZZ, Ran, they use the app Talking Bubbles, and they Zap. At one point Ken asks where Bosie (Oscar Wilde's lover) is. And Oscar says, "Out. Probably cruising for trouble". It's a no from me.
This is just too cringey for me. I like Oscar Wilde just as much as the next person. But this is way too much. The main character loves Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde's character) so much that the second he sees someone that looks like him, that's is all we hear about. And of course, the guy acts like Dorian Gray too. Ken Z writes to Oscar (Oscar loves calling him dear boy), visits with him, and dreams about him.
I hate the names used: Ken Z, CaZZ, Ran, they use the app Talking Bubbles, and they Zap. At one point Ken asks where Bosie (Oscar Wilde's lover) is. And Oscar says, "Out. Probably cruising for trouble". It's a no from me.
March 24, 2020
Yeah, no. I don't think there are very many readers for this book in part because it's a bit thick for not much actually going on.
A meet-cute always works but when there's just so much EXTRA to it and the overarching connections with Oscar Wilde (tell me what kid knows who he is and I literally added his most prolific to my reading list as a nod to reading more classics because I haven't). And the randomness of the varying formats from texting to haikus and lists just further muddies the story.
A meet-cute always works but when there's just so much EXTRA to it and the overarching connections with Oscar Wilde (tell me what kid knows who he is and I literally added his most prolific to my reading list as a nod to reading more classics because I haven't). And the randomness of the varying formats from texting to haikus and lists just further muddies the story.
January 8, 2021
I started this novel months ago, wandered away from it, and then picked it up again yesterday when I realized how close I was to finishing it. An atypical teen romance that is about both the rush of first love and the grief at its end. The main character is a poet, so although the novel is primarily written in prose, there's also a lot of poetry. And, the main character belongs to a book club dedicated to Oscar Wilde, so there are also mini "scenes" with an imaginary Oscar who serves as both gay mentor and muse. (The author is a Filipino American novelist, poet, and playwright).
August 5, 2025
all i can say is that ken z is going to go bonkers for ttpd when it comes out in his world. why the HELL did ran just love bomb him????? why did he ghost????? what was even the point of kissing ken z if he knew the relationship wouldn't work????? i'm asking these questions rhetorically, of course, because the book doesn't give answers — instead, it wastes time on token representation; alluding to real, pressing social issues but not diving into them; and... saying slurs. yeah. the f-word and the r-word. in 2019 usa. okay.
November 14, 2019
It’s sad that this book is getting low ratings. Having read R. Zamora Linmark’s past works, I expected his writing style to be the way it is. Also, who couldn’t relate to Ken Z’s journey regarding first love and the subsequent heartbreak? Then there were the issues regarding homophobia and censorship, and the allusion to the current political climate with respect to North and South Kristol — all of which made this book engaging.
August 19, 2019
A great book! Its well written, the characters are relateable in the best and worse ways, and this book shows us how to deal with abandonment. I thought it was great because there is a sense of mystery, "What happened to Ran? Was he prostecuted? Were they found out? Why did he do it?". I think the author still wrote the ending well even if I dont agree with how it ended.
October 24, 2019
Fun and cute story about unrequited love for a young audience. Think an antithesis of Aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe. Being gay/queer? Not a huge discovery or revelation here. Love happily ever after? Not in the typical way. I loved the poetic and literary presentation and pace. But again, I think it's best for a younger audience.
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