Book Review (Paper 3 – Short Transactional)
Hideous Beauty by William Hussey and published by Usborne Publishing is an
LGBTQIA+ thriller fiction novel which explores themes of queer couples along
with the troubles and backlash they face.
We are introduced to the main character Dylan who develops feelings for the
“new boy in town” Ellis. Both the boys grow fond of each other and eventually
start dating but in secret, afraid of being caught. Eventually, their relationship
gets exposed on the Internet resulting in them having to come out to Dylan’s
parents about their dating. Contrary to their expectations, their “coming out”
story was taken well, and they even got support at their school dance. However,
the real story unfolds when they leave the dance.
As the story progresses, we become familiar with the backstory of the main
characters, their friends, families and even their school acquaintances.
This was both a phenomenal, and heartbreaking read. I found myself
desperately trying to discover what happened next. I would recommend this
book to those who enjoy a good mystery and thriller plot; however, the story
contains and talks about sensitive topics like sexual and physical assault and
contains strong language and homophobic slurs so one must take precautions
before reading.