Adam is 17 and gay. He lives in small town Washington State. His parents are evangelical Christians. He has a best friend, Angela, who he tells everything to, and who covers for him when he needs to lie to his parents. He has a boyfriend but he is still very preoccupied by his ex. Release tells the story of one day of crisis, where he is planning to go to a farewell party for his ex. His boss at a big-box store is sexually harassing him. His brother, a committed Christian in the tradition of their parents, tells Adam that gay love is not real love. And the difficulties keep on coming. It’s a glorious pile up of problems that lead him to crack. Along the way, Adam reflects on his own and talks with Angela about sex, sexual identity, labelling and fluidity, the meaning of family, growing up, true love, attraction, and identity. There are some striking descriptions of sexual interactions, remarkable for avoiding cliché.

There’s a subplot, told in a different voice, about the murder of a local meth user by her older boyfriend. This has supernatural elements and addresses very different themes. It is such a mismatch with the main story that it makes the story feel a little experimental. It’s hard to know what to make of it.

Michael Crouch performs the unabridged audiobook. He brings a good deal of emotion to his reading, making the audiobook compelling listening.

© 2018 Christian Perring

Christian Perring teaches in NYC.