I'm starting to like Hero more and more as I read it. I can sort of relate to the main character, in the sense that we both have insecurities and both want to make our parents proud of us. I think it's rather sad that Thom resorted to running away from home because he couldn't tell his dad the truth about himself. I think if Thom confronted his dad and told him the truth, I think he would be accepting of Thom instead of rejecting him. Though I am curious as to why Thom's mom decided to up and leave both Thom and his dad. I have a feeling that it had something to do with the fact Thom's dad use to be a superhero and she hated not knowing whether or not she would ever see her husband alive again. Especially after an 'accident' that left his disfigured. I can understand her leaving then, but why leave your only child too? Then again the message in the photo album saying: (To my son. Know yourself.), may be a clue that his mom still cares and thinks about him. Over all as a debut novel, this isn't too bad. Perry Moore describes his characters in an interesting and unique way. The story also flows nicely from one chapter to the next. It will be interesting to what else Moore will write in the future. Plus I like how Moore pulls inspiration from his own life since he is also gay like Thom in Hero.
I agree, Megan, with your last comment. I think the fact that Moore's father was a hero in Vietnam probably makes him very similar to the father character in the book.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read it, I thought that the whole superhero plot was kind of unnecessary. In other words, it could have just been about a boy struggling with his sexuality. On the other hand, maybe Perry Moore wanted a book with a gay character that wasn't focused around the trauma of "coming out."