We Could Be Something

By Will Kostakis

Reviewed by Alison McCaffrey

Every so often a book lights up with extra heart and soul from the author. Usually they’re debuts, but in Will Kostakis’ eighth book his light shines bright. Winner of the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards’ Young Adult Literature Prize 2024, We Could Be Something is a story forged deep in the reality of lust and heartbreak, joy and grief, triumph and failure.

Harvey is woken late one night when his ba finally decides to leave his other dad. They fly to Sydney to live with his yiayia Gina, and proyiayia (in his words, a grandmother who’s ‘been around long enough to go pro’) in a small terrace apartment above their Greek café. When his proyiayia’s Alzheimer’s becomes more serious, Harvey’s other dad shows up for support, secretly hoping to win back his long-time love. Harvey’s ba is convinced he must be single to write his long-planned second novel, Harvey is confused about his feelings for barista Isabella and failed Grindr hook-up Brad, and Gina struggles to come to terms with proyiayia’s worsening condition. Will living in one tiny flat help or hinder?

In a second timeline, 17-year-old Sotiris just published his first novel. He lives in a tiny flat above their Greek café with his mother and yiayia, and is in denial after last year’s kiss with a boy. Determined to spark a second print-run of his novel to fix a first-page typo, Sotiris meets Jem; older, interesting, and confident about his sexuality in a way Sotiris still isn’t. As sparks ignite and Sotiris gets closer to his goal of a reprint, can he manage balancing a budding romance (kept secret from his mother) with his goal of penning a second novel?

A wonderful back-and-forth coming of age story spanning two generations of gay men in Sydney, We Could Be Something is heartfelt, heavy and humorous in turns and at once. Suitable for readers 14-years and up, the sexual content is light but a few f-bombs mean it may not be suitable for younger readers.

A & U Children 2023

Will Kostakis