Radio Silence Review

Review of Radio Silence by Alice Oseman (2016)

Rating: 5 stars

You probably think that Aled Last and I are going to fall in love or something. Since he is a boy and I am a girl. I just wanted to say – We don’t. That’s all. - Frances Janiver

“And I’m platonically in love with you.”

“That was literally the boy-girl version of ‘no homo’, but I appreciate the sentiment.”- Aled Last & Frances Janiver

Where to start with Radio Silence? I loved this book more than expected, I chose to read it because while it had an interesting premise anyway it won the 2017 Inky award (young adults voting for their best books of the year, as chosen by young adults). But I didn’t expect to love it. I really enjoyed the plot, the characters, the setting and the style. The presentation is brilliant. Social networking plays a major role and the displays of the varying sns for the different platforms and keeping form of the native feel. Even the YouTube posts feel right. The YouTube posts also become one of the most valuable writing assets, adding a perspective that was otherwise inaccessible. The writing style is a bit unusual compared to my usual. It gives what you need as you need whole maintain an air of mystery. It strikes me as an elegant woman.

Radio Silence follows Frances and her friends as they go through that pivotal final year of high school/ first year of university. Frances is a clever and bookish student who has dreamt of going to Cambridge since childhood, to the world her life is defined by her academic accomplishments. She has a secret geek/fandom/artsy side that she doesn’t allow the world to see for fear. Aled is smart, academic, shy and secretive. The runner of soon to be hit podcast Universe City. There is more to his life and Universe City than meets the eye. He is a brilliantly multifaceted character who changes a lot through the book. The book follows them and others as they come to terms with who they are and what they want while completing with ghosts of the past, pressure from others and their own self-doubt.

There is an astounding amount of diversity in this book. From ethnic and cultural (the protagonist is British-Ethiopian, one of her friends is Indian, another Korean) to sexual (bisexual, gay, lesbian, demisexual) to socioeconomic (none are homeless but there is a range of situations). *spoiler* One of the core plot points is familial abuse, not the physical form but more psychological. It is brave writing. *spoiler* When discussing sexuality Radio Silence is modern, like it doesn’t think much of the topic, it just another part of the characters self. In some way it treats Frances’ geekgirl side with more reverence than her bisexuality. The sexual revel of Frances is smart. Simple. To the point. No flowery moment. And it's not the root moment it is just her explaining something else that happened. The sexuality of others is not quite as insignificant but for plot reasons it can’t be and demi’s often don’t understand themselves what is going on. One of the characters within the fictional universe of Universe City is agender and which prompts some important discussion about gender too.

This is a book that I would recommend to library staff working with young adults, young adults themselves and anyone in a fandom. Because for those in a fandom there is some very relatable moments in here. For some young adults this could be a mirror a way for someone who can’t usually find themselves in a book to see a bit of themselves in Frances. For the outgoing types it is a window to another world, running parallel to theirs. If it looks even remotely appealing to you try it, it is a stunning book.

My reading experience in a gif:

Crossposted from Goodreads

References

Cover for 9780007559244. (n.d.). HarperCollinsPublishersAustralia. [Image File]. Retrieved from https://i.harperapps.com/covers/9780007559244/x293.jpg

McPherson, C. (2018, March 10). Catherine McP's review of Radio Silence. Goodreads. [Goodreads Review]. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2320554591

Mochimochiland. (n.d.). Stop motion love. Giphy. [Image File]. Retrieved from https://giphy.com/gifs/love-heart-valentine-3oriO6qJiXajN0TyDu/links

Oseman, A. (2016). Radio silence [Kindle]. Retrieved from: https://www.amazon.com.au/Radio-Silence-Alice-Oseman-ebook/dp/B00UCLD1K8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1520998117&sr=1-1&keywords=radio+silence

Radio silence. (n.d.). In Inside A Dog. Retrieved March 13, 2018, from https://insideadog.com.au/books/radio-silence