Sometimes I think that’s all love is. Understanding, smoothing away your strangeness. Making you part of the world, not separate from it.
– Alexis Hall, Pansies
Over the summer, I was incredibly fortunate to receive an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of the incredibly talented Alexis Hall’s newest release: Pansies.
Pansies joins Hall’s other titles as part of the widely popular Spires Series, including:
- Glitterland
- Waiting for the Flood/Chasing the Light
- For Real
Hall’s Spires Series are linked by sometimes-subtle-sometimes-not-so-subtle nods to characters and overarching themes like what it means to love, mental health, identity, and loss. If you want to feel, pick up a Spires novel. Not a single one is a miss.
PANSIES SYNOPSIS:
Alfie Bell is, in his heart, a Northern lad. After returning to his hometown of South Shields for the wedding of his childhood best friend, Alfie finds himself involved with an old school-”mate,” Fenimore O’Donaghue, the receiver of a younger-Alfie’s relentless bullying. Pansies follows Alfie and Fen as they, individually and collectively, navigate identity, grief, the past, and the ever-shifting dynamics of family, friendship, and relationships in adulthood.
PANSIES REVIEW:
Pansies by Alexis Hall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
As a preliminary matter, this book hit three of my least favorite technical writing choices: 3rd person limited POV , written dialect (though Hall – as per usual- nails authenticity), and POVs via written letters. None of these choices factor into the review, but are included here only to make the point that if you are like me and finds these things slightly irksome, please endure. It will be worth it.
There is plenty in Pansies that is so well-done and effortlessly makes you laugh, and hurt, and cry with Alfie Bell & Fen (shout out to Greg for also being fantastic). The Do-not-do-it-yourself, Lasagna cooking, Go-Kart scenes and basically the entirety of chapter 23 are among the moments in Pansies that had me smiling irrationally (and in the case of ch. 23 – both smiling and wanting to punch Alfie Bell (though I hasten to add I do not condone violence, even if it is towards fictional men)). As usual, Hall excels in painting gorgeous imagery, detailed world building, and granting a platform for queer struggle. Indeed, where I think Pansies excels the most is in painting the many difficulties one faces post-coming-out, whether that be from the never ending coming-out to others (including friends and family), the reality of the “after,” and wrestling with one’s identity in relationship to society and self-identity. All this framed in gold (a side note – this word is severely overused in this story – “gold” or “golden” is mentioned 45 times (I am not usually this persnickety but it was glaring at me this time)), with lines such as:
“She wouldn’t understand, and he couldn’t explain. How bad it felt to be a shock. To be an idea people had to get used to. To be a moment of hesitation. A flinch when someone touched you. A wariness in their eyes. How much it fucking hurt.”
Hall’s ability to make readers feel remains unparalleled. I have yet to walk away from any read written by Hall and not feel dazzled and transported, wistful and enlightened. In a way that is all Hall’s own, Hall makes one be human. I am always left with this twisted thing of wistfulness and nostalgia that is unique to Hall’s writing in a way that is truly indescribable. The closest I can come, is this bit of a letter written by Frederic Chopin:
““I keep your letters, as if they were ribbons from a beloved one. I have the ribbon; write to me, and in a week I will enjoy myself chattering to you again.”
This slight tangent is all to say: these characters and stories Hall produces are invaluable, cherished by many, and equally as invoking of emotion with each re-read.
All this aside, Pansies took me a bit longer to get into and left me a little less wonder-lusted. I suspect, unfortunately this has to do with how Alfie Bell was written, especially in the beginning – a bit bumbling or perhaps in a way that suggests he is more brute and less brain when we know he has a brain. To give Hall credit where credit is due, his technical choices with Alfie Bell do portray what he is trying to very well: Aflie is a bit repressed, confused with his identity and place, and northern-boy at heart and as the story progresses you feel his progress. His narration shifts from a bit short and short-sighted to a little more run-on, flowery, and emotional. This is brilliantly done.
Pansies is sweet and honest, somewhat clunky, a bit a mess, but hey – so is life and relationships, right? I think actually Fen and Nora summarize Pansies best:
“Um, what are weeds, then?”
“Flowers where you don’t expect them.”
All in all, Pansies is worth the spot on your bookshelf and/or e-reader. If you have read Glitterland, For Real, and Chasing the Light, you will appreciate the subtle and not-so-subtle nods. The author annotations add, as always, an added level of depth and platonic parasocial-ity. It is always wonderful to see the delightfully obscure factoids, well-thought out lines and events, and personality that goes into a work.
Pansies was a victory, even if (personally) it was a harder fought one than I normally experience with Hall. This should not disway others from falling in love effortlessly with Alfie and Fen, as I am sure many have and many more will.
Import Information You Don’t Want to Miss (or go Ahead – Miss it, See How Much I Care):
Pansies will be released in the U.S., UK & Canada on November 5, 2024. You can purchase it at your local bookstore, the local and ethically sources curated book buying sources provided by Alexis Hall on his website (below) or through use of my affiliate link (https://amzn.to/4f2Vb3g).
Make sure you check out the endlessly talented (and humorous) Alexis Hall on his socials (@quicunquevult) and check out some of Hall’s other fantastic titles including:
- Boyfriend Material
- Husband Material
- 10 Things that Never Happened
- Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake
- Paris Dallencourt is About to Crumble
- Mortal Follies
- Confounding Oaths
And countless others! You can find a full list of Hall’s published worked at: www.quicunquevult.com
As always, thank you SourceBook Casa Blanca for the ARC via NetGalley!
**Not author sponsored**
