The Arena of the Unwell

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PLEASE NOTE: From 1st of July 2021, shipments from the UK to EU countries will be subject to Value Added Tax (VAT) charges. You hate them because they are exactly the kind of person you don't want to be, and exactly the kind of person you are. The exploration of depression and mental health came across a bit shallow and "YA-ish" for my taste, but nevertheless I still found myself engaged in the story and I quite appreciated the depiction of the main character's flaws and emotions.

He tries not to think about what will happen when his NHS-allocated therapy hours run out and he's left alone with his mind again. As such he seems to feel an increased sense of alienation and has few opportunities for romantic encounters. After a comeback concert turns violent, he runs into barman Dylan, who he has been crushing on from afar, and photographer Fraser, who comes with Dylan everywhere.His self-deception becomes a dangerous coping mechanism, and he can survive only by ignoring his problems and current circumstances.

After he and his friend Mairead go to a secret comeback gig by their favourite band Smiling Politely, Noah runs into Dylan, a bartender he’s wanted to approach for ages. The Arena of the Unwell by Liam Konemann – A coming-of-age novel about male mental health and queerness in the grimy indie music underbelly that retains humour whilst looking at a toxic relationship and the realities of NHS cuts.Arena is highly successful as a queer version of this trajectory, attentive to the intricacies of Noah’s particular relationship to his own queerness without conforming to the demand that all queer stories be about coming out. I just tried to hold all those emotions in mind and think about how someone experiencing them all would talk.

John ‘Jock’ Findlay was born and brought up in the heart of the burgeoning West Lothian shale oil industry.

Featuring a vibrant rainbow design, and our super-sized Q logo, you won't find a more stylish way to make a statement. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. Not just those of the main trio, but also those of Noah’s best friends, and even his boss were all in need of expansion. And nor it is all about romantic relationships; it also celebrates queer friendships and community through the role of Mairead, Noah’s best friend, and her girlfriend Jenny.

After a gig from his favourite band Smiling Politely turns sour, twenty-something Noah finds himself panicked on the streets of London. The bestselling LGBTQ+ graphic novel about life, love, and everything that happens in between: this is the fifth volume of the Heartstopper series. Noah’s chapters are interrupted now and again by articles or snippets of interviews with two of the band’s members, Ryan and Claire, and these were kind of unnecessary. However, I think your level of engagement with the story will depend on it’s level of relatability for you. Though he has a number of people in his life who want to help and support him when he's having a hard time, he continuously bats away their offers or ignores them.A really notable element of the book is the depiction of queerness in the indie scene, whether that’s Noah trying to navigate the fact all the bands are singing about women they think wronged them, his repeated belief that he can’t fit into any gay world because he doesn’t fit in, or the hints of how the music scene shown has more space for guys who are apparently straight but maybe down for something with a guy than actual queer people.