BOOK REVIEW: Hideous Beauty by William Hussey

Hideous Beauty

William Hussey

Dylan is forced to come out after his secret relationship with Ellis is exposed on social media, but everyone is really supportive – or appears to be. But Dylan’s and El’s happiness is short-lived, following a tragic accident, Dylan begins to realize how little he knows about the boy he loves or those closest to him.  Hussey is an award-winning author of books for Young Adults  and this sparkling love story, which is wrapped in a dark textured Gothic mystery has a really beautiful truth at it’s heart. Even in a cruel world,  love can win through and first love is a seriously special thing worth cherishing.

It’s this which brings this book up into the light and Hussey has done a great job of making the narrative engaging enough and interesting enough to be able to hold what is quite a shocking narrative, and allow the character to develop as the mystery unfolds.  Using the mental tribulations of Dylan as he seeks to understand what happened, deal with his grief and search for some kind of acceptance and his own authentic place in the world.

Hussey’s crisp fresh prose is a delight, not a fat word in there, it’s lean, swift and the narrative  gallops along at a giddy speed. It’s a thumping great read for younger people, and leads us, and Dylan out of the dark places and into a space which is perhaps more difficult to live in, but makes far more sense in the end.

Out May 1st to order or for more info see the publishers website here: