Male teenage relationships are at the forefront of this contemporary coming-of-age story. Unlike a lot of multiple narrative novels, the characters in Play read as genuine and relatable with distinct voices and personalities. Some of the characters even have their own fonts to further distinguish their personalities.
This is by no means a kid’s book, even though the title might suggest otherwise. Rather, it is a mature and captivating depiction of the peer and parental pressures young adults, and especially young men, face.
This book isn’t the first to feature a cast of disenfranchised youths trying to find their place in the world and it won’t be the last, but the trying scenarios the boys face in this book never feel manufactured for the sake of teaching a lesson. Each boy’s circumstance feels authentic; it could easily have been you or I who got involved with the wrong crowd or who grew up neglected.
Play is about how each of us is dealt a different hand and it is only through dealing with our unique set of adversities that we grow as young adults. Themes such as drug dependency, alcohol abuse and learning to accept your sexuality are dealt with openly and honestly. I’m sure many young readers will be able to identify and connect with the themes highlighted in this superbly written book.
Mark Jackson
Play
Luke Palmer
Firefly Press, 2023
Paperback, £8.99
ISBN 9781915444318
