For long-term fans of Jonathan Hill, Pride comes across as a thematic halfway house between his light-hearted Maureen stories and his much harder-hitting novel released in 2014. For newcomers, this will be a fresh and engaging introduction to his writing.
Like the movie of the same name, Pride looks at what it was like to be gay in early Eighties Britain. But this is a much less political and more personal tale. No matter what your sexuality or viewpoint, we can all empathise with teenage Liam as he struggles to juggle the old-fashioned world of his parents with the scary, colourful lure of a more grown-up life he clearly isn’t ready for.
Liam himself is portrayed in a highly detailed and realistic way, to the point where sometimes he is believably unlikable. The writing captures the ebullience of youth when striving to belong to a chosen tribe which, as I’m sure we all remember, isn’t always flattering!
There are occasional flash-forwards to Liam’s viewpoint from later in his life, but the novella doesn’t need them at all. I found teenage Liam’s journey intense enough that his adult observations were bordering on intrusive.
This is a captivating story about all the highs and lows of finding yourself when you are young.
Pride is available for the Kindle and in paperback on Amazon UK or Amazon US.