by Chezdon Mitchell
Publisher : Zalien Ltd; 2nd edition
Publication date : November 5, 2019
Series: Innocence Waning: Part 1
Innocence Wanning is a gay literary fiction set in Australia about sixteen-year-old Chezdon Morrison. The story follows the main character’s life, his parents, friends, and love interests. This is about a teenager who struggles with how to come out to his family and friends and how he wants to change his virgin status with the right guy or the proper hookup.
This story is more character-driven than plot-driven. You can also term it as a slice-of-life tale because as a reader you will live through the eyes of the main character (Thanks to the great first-person narration) with all the challenges and obstacles he faces. This includes dealing with his father or the mother he dislikes and abandoned them, or with his buddies. There are many characters in the story. The characters are quite complex and multifaceted. As you progress in the story you will discover them more. What I really appreciate here is that the author does not dump all the characters at once on the reader. Nope, he introduces them gradually to you so you will not be overwhelmed. This really helped me to understand them and to have a clear picture in my mind of each one of them.
Among the characters in this part, my absolute favorite is Jayden. He is funny, careless, cocky, and has always a whimsical line or a story to tell. I hope he will be there in the second part because something crucial happens between him and the main character towards the end. At first, Chezdon did not sound like a sixteen-year-old boy to me but as I progressed in the story I acknowledged all his insecurities and vulnerabilities. I understood them. I knew that this is just a teenager who is trying to live like grown-up adults and have all their privileges, whether this was in big things like having his own identity and having a partner or small privileges like the ability to drink and use drugs.
As for the coming-out scenarios, I appreciate that the author has given us from both worlds. You have Daniel, Chezdon’s father, and the way he dealt with his son’s sexuality and on the other side, you have Austin’s parents. Two scenarios from life are vividly represented in the story.
What really brought a smile to my face is that in many situations Chezdon has reminded me of my own experiences in my teenage years. The failed hookups, be it with a stranger in the public restroom or a friend almost distracting you from a potential encounter! I am sure many readers will be able to relate to all these situations. Some things may hit you hard though as I am sure many adults have gone through some terrible life events or have met some horrible persons who did not seem bad at first but later showed their ugly faces. Chezdon is no different here, as he goes through all this. There are some trigger warnings in the story so be careful.
This is the second book I read by Chezdon Mitchell that I really enjoyed. A gay literary fiction covering the life of a teenager in the most realistic way and written in such an appealing manner. Be it the characters, locations, or the circumstances, Mitchell excelled in writing them all and presenting them to the reader eloquently. I highly recommend reading this book if you enjoy this genre.
Many thanks to the author Chezdon Mitchell for providing me a free copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily after being sent the book.
Themes:
- Literary Fiction
- Australia
- Humor
- Rape
- Public Sex
- Friends to Lovers
- Coming Out
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