Powered by rage and confusion, disillusion and discovery, this is a bruising portrait of adolescence and sexual self-discovery. The slow-burn exploration of cause and effect is heartrendingly charted in a voice that is somehow intense yet simple and restrained. Feeling the emotions inside the head of our scary protagonist is sensually disturbing and we truly feel the raw vulnerability in this queer coming-of-age story.
For a long time, all Jean wanted was to be in the wilderness. All Jean wants, really, is to avoid the lines that dissect his life – like those that demarcate the land before him now – and tell him where he can and can’t be. And as he replaces his canteen in the side of his pack, as he checks that all the straps are tied tightly, as he swings the bag onto his back, takes a last look at the map, and heads down the path that skirts the edge of the field lush with green furls, he feels like he is walking away not just from school, but from life. He feels like he is disappearing.
