An incredibly moving book. I usually don’t love seeing so much misery portrayed in a book, it feels so unlikely and unbelievable. I’m not sure how this books managed not to fall into that trap somehow, there was something about it that made it all work. 

I think the themes of alienation and constant sadness and melancholy made the behaviour of the characters understandable, or at least pitiable. They are all so young, and it makes sense for them to not take things seriously. Ultimately they’ve all been hurt, so they act out. But it’s such a quiet and sad rebellion. As I said I mostly just found it touching. 

I appreciated all of the rawness of the most explicit scenes as well, they were over the top but also relatable in certain ways. It was a very interesting reading experience, made me feel a lot of things all at once, but never anger towards any character, which is always a win. And I loved the Beatles references.