In a creaky Brunswick sharehouse, our unnamed protagonist spends his summer reading, showering, loitering on Grindr and, at the behest of his housemate Dan, venturing to local pools. What follows is an incredibly fresh coming-of-age portrait that explores the intense, confusing friendships of young gay men in post-plebiscite Australia.
The strength of Ronnie Scott’s debut novel resides in its memorable and unreliable narrator, whose comic introspection I found funny, moving, and perfectly idiosyncratic. It is strange to recommend to others a book in which you recognise so much of yourself, but early reports suggest that I am not the only one; I think you can expect to see this book floating around for years to come. This is a warm, compelling Australian debut that sets relatable neuroses against a Melbourne summer that you can just smell.
- Jacob