Welcome to England, where the Protectorate enforces the Public Good. Here, there are rules for everything - what to eat, what to wear, what to do, what to say, what to read, what to think, who to obey, who to hate, who to love. Your safety is assured, so long as you follow the rules.
Gabriel is a natural born rule-breaker. And his biggest crime of all? Being gay.
Gabriel knows his sexuality must be kept secret from all but his closest friends, not only to protect himself, but to protect his boyfriend. Because Eric isn't just the boy who has stolen Gabriel's heart. He's the son of the chief inspector at Degenerate Investigations - the man who poses the single biggest threat to Gabriel's life.
And the Protectorate are experts at exposing secrets.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: HOMOPHOBIA, SELF HARM, VIOLENCE
Pay attention to those triggers, guys, they're not messing around.
In the country that was once England (and possibly Wales, but explicitly not Scotland and probably not Northern Ireland) the Protectorate hold absolute power. (No mention made of what's happened to the royal family, if anything.) They take a hard line, traditional stance; anything other than healthy, hetero normative people are Not Allowed, and there are frequents searches and punishments and camps. Food is rationed and there is no medical care. The Protectorate Loves You!
Gabe and Eric happen on a box of old movies, carefully hidden away by a librarian against the Protectorate's raids. These movies show unbelievable things; boys kissing boys, girls kissing girls, people seeing movies and learning history and a hundred other things that they've never even imagined. Seeing those movies gives them the strength to keep fighting back against the horrific abuses of the Protectorate. And there are some pretty horrific abuses here.
There's a lovely point made here, that without seeing something it's hard to imagine that it's possible. That's the basic argument about representation, of course, but for some reason it really hit home here. Maybe it was the list of movies, many of which I've seen and most of which I've loved.
This is a heavy, difficult, but worthwhile and important read. I think it'll do well, and I'd love to see it in schools - I think there are some good lessons here. Brilliant.
The Outrage publishes on the 13th May, 2021. I received a free copy and am leaving an honest review.
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