What an enjoyable and introspective read. I am struggling to summarise how Brio’s character made me feel in a few words. He is the epitome of an unreliable narrator. His childhood trauma has had an intense effect on him. As the story followed his twists and turns, though, I didn’t always understand or agree with what he was doing/saying, I sympathised with him and was rooting for him. But I wholeheartedly believed his story and the relationships he has with the other characters. It all felt very organic. Despite his struggles, he is a likeable character and I found myself wanting to understand him, and I wanted him to have a happy ending to his journey. I felt quite emotional at times. I thoroughly enjoyed the parallels between Brio’s reality and the Hoggit’s story. It also has a good sense of time and place. I’ve been to the Isle of Man a couple of times, but I don’t think I’ve ever read a story set there. The worldbuilding was great, I could easily imagine the various settings. I especially liked the descriptions of Hoggit’s world- so fun and detailed. I found the opening drew me in, I wanted to carry on reading. The pacing was great, the twists and turns and reveals were done excellently. And the ending … I was so concerned for Brio. This story will especially resonate for anyone who was raised Catholic but is also queer. So I liked the religious imagery throughout the story, and I was sympathetic to Brio’s mental turmoil. Other readers would definitely be able to connect to Brio’s struggles with belief, gender and sexuality, even if they don’t have a religious background. They are universal struggles.
