Jack is a poor child suffering from neglect by a mother who wishes he did not exist. He befriends a young girl with a loving family and they push him to apply to the same boarding school their daughter is going to, one that offers scholarships. Theo is the son of a very wealthy family, his father is cold and particularly cruel to Theo. Both boys feel an instant attraction to one another, but never having been shown love and affection, they push aside this feeling and hide it behind hate, jealousy, rage. Feeding that pit of anger in their stomachs at how they were raised, how much of themselves they hide due to fear. Jack also feels beholden to his friend's, Meg, parents for all they have done for him. So, when Meg begins to show she has deeper feelings for Jack he sort of just accepts this new role as her boyfriend (knowing his love for her feels different from romantic love and that he does not melt into her kisses). Jack also feels that he must present himself a certain way, after having fought his way into a prestigious school, then having befriended an older man with no heirs who takes him under his wing. He puts these pressures on himself to adhere to what he believes this new position requires in terms of having a wife, children, a good job, no secrets or hidden desires. Theo is such a broken man, who hardens his heart to anyone but his son and close friends. He is always trying to make up for his father's criminal ways by supporting others, by not becoming that cruel, vindictive man. But when he is around Jack he feels so many emotions and fears all of them, especially after everything that happened between them. He once was willing to give up everything he had, all of who he was, all of the burdens his wealth, privilege and family had put on him, in order to be with Jack. Jack let him down and he is reluctant to ever trust this man again. I read this book so quickly, as I enjoyed the premise and how the story was plotted. Chapters start in the present, then flip to a moment in the past (splitting chapters between Jack and Theo's point of views). The past memories go in chronological order, from the boys meetings, to high school, to their summer in Cork, to their angry goodbyes. Whereas the past is broken up and shifts quickly at first and then slows to a crawl during their summer in Cork, the present takes place in a shorter span of time as Jack works to win Theo's trust and heart back. My only annoyance, and this is personal, was the specific choice the author made in formatting. Specifically, all of the em dashes throughout the novel (I am a comma girlie, always have been), often used at the end of a paragraph instead of a period. It lends for abrupt cuts to a train of thought, and I found it too jarring and it hurt the flow of the story. The side characters were also well flushed out, with both friends and family playing a key role in helping both Jack and Theo find their way to one another. Jack's ex is angry at first, but slowly begins to understand why he did what he did, why he lied, why he kept their life and love going when his heart was somewhere else. She slowly forgives and heals and pushes him to put himself out there and find that true happiness. His kids seem to have realized all of this sooner than he did, and his son especially seems to have a kinship with him. So, seeing his and Theo's son play out the story of what they could have been like at school was a nice nod to possibilities and missed chances and the change in the world since they were children. Theo's friends seem scary, but they are also the children of swindlers who were once on top of the world and then felt terrible about what their parents did, not knowing how exactly to channel their own rage and how to redeem themselves. I liked seeing these flawed characters navigating the hardships of life with supportive friends. I loved the two main characters, Jack and Theo. Two broken children so afraid of who they are because of their parents. But, truly loving each other despite being so damaged. With supportive friends who help them find their truth and want them to be all the way happy.
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