Invisible Boys

By Holden Sheppard.

Reviewed by Alison McCaffrey

Gritty. Raw. Honest. Powerful. Devastating. All words that come to mind while reading this multi-award-winning debut novel by WA author Holden Sheppard.

Set in Geraldton, WA, Invisible Boys is the coming-of-age story of four boys. Charlie, Zeke and Hammer run in different circles at school, but they’re all trying to work through the same situation in their own way. Charlie is involuntarily thrust into the spotlight of the whole town and suddenly all three boys’ lives are intertwined in ways they could never have imagined. When Matt, a farmer’s son from the next town over, is thrown into the mix, the boys wind up holding each other’s secrets as tightly as their own. With the weight of four lives looming over them all, they need to find a way to survive and thrive in a world that doesn’t seems to want them.

Dealing with heavy topics in a real and poignant way, Sheppard effectively brings to life four very different voices on their own quest to find their place in a world that seems certain to bury them. Homosexuality, abuse, mental health and suicide are at the forefront of the boys’ stories, written in a way that will make readers question their own understanding of these topics, while also thinking about the views of everyone they know.

This is a book everyone should read before they turn 18, offering valuable insight into the minds of teenage boys who are often not so willing or able to speak up on their own. A great conversation-starter for families and older classrooms, Invisible Boys would be an asset to every reading list for teens over the age of 16 (or 14, with parental awareness around the sensitivity of the topics addressed) and all adults who work with, teach, talk to or have teenagers in their lives.

Teaching Notes

Fremantle Press 2019

Holden Sheppard