It Looks Like This

A gentle warning that this review contains anti religious sentiments 

It Looks Like This
Written by Rafi Mittlefehldt
Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, LGBT
Expected Publication December 1st 2016
336 Pages
Thank you to Walker Books Australia
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★★★★★
A new state, a new city, a new high school. Mike's father has already found a new evangelical church for the family to attend, even if Mike and his plainspoken little sister, Toby, don't want to go. Dad wants Mike to ditch art for sports, to toughen up, but there's something uneasy behind his demands. Then Mike meets Sean, the new kid, and hey becomes games of basketball, partnering on a French project, hanging out after school. A night at the beach. The fierce colours of sunrise. But Mike's father is always watching. And so is Victor from school, cell phone in hand.

In guarded, Carveresque prose that propels you forward with a sense of stomachdropping inevitability, Rafi Mittlefehldt tells a wrenching tale of first love and loss that exposes the undercurrents of a tidy suburban world. Heartbreaking and ultimately life affirming, It Looks Like This is a novel of love and family and forgiveness, not just of others, but of yourself.
Fifteen year old Mike is a wonderful young man. An artist, attentive student and a son who honours thy father and thy mother. His father is a deeply religious man and an active participant in his local church since moving from Wisconsin to Somerdale a few months prior. Their religious teachings are of abstinence and romantic relationships are exclusively between a male and female union. That doesn't cease the taunting from his peers and whispers of queer within the halls. Whispers also echoed at home.

When new student Sean arrives, Mike begins to push the boundaries of his same sex attraction, despite what the church has preached. When Sean and Mike are chosen to work on a media project together, the two soon become inseparable. Beyond the carefree friendship and genuine smiles, Mike and Sean are attracted to one another. Shared moments, feather light touches and an exploration of their feelings. Emotionally and physically.

Until being caught.

In a deeply religious town, same sex relationships are unnatural, forbidden and while Sean is beaten and abused, Mike is forced into a program provided by the ministry, freeing teens of their impure thoughts. Mike wants to love freely, passionately and without abandon. Peers, parents and church be damned.

My Thoughts

It Looks Like This is phenomenal, rage inducing and absolutely heartbreaking. Having only just turned the final page, I was compelled to gather my thoughts and emotions, frantically, passionately through tears and sorrow.

The narrative is told from almost fifteen year old Michael's point of view. Although young, he's a mature young man that finds himself taking an interest in the same sex. Mike never identifies himself to the reader as being gay, but finds himself attracted to boys. He's intelligent and sensitive, passionate about his art and despite his lack of enthusiasm, indulges in his father's strong religious beliefs. His only ally is his younger sister Toby, who herself is intuitive and wise beyond her years. The accusatory whisper queer of his peers are echoed by his father, a tense relationship of unrealistic expectations.

Sean is attractive and charismatic, capturing Mike's attention when the two teens are assigned to collaborate on a media project. The boys develop a blossoming friendship and start to explore their feelings for one another. Even as Mike and Sean explore their sexuality, their relationship was defined by gentle touches without labels. It was exquisite and quietly beautiful.
I stare back because I don't know what else to do and all I can think about is how green those eyes are. Then the corner of his mouth turns up, just barely. He says, I'm Sean. I Say, Yeah. Mike. And then people start coming inside the classroom.
The Grace Fellowship are adamant in their view towards same sex relationships, impure thoughts are not only forbidden but punishable. I can't even begin to articulate how infuriating and intolerant Michael's parents were, especially his father. He allowed the church to dictate and impede on his relationship with his son and through his own prejudice, he seemed to believe Michael was ill with a cure that only faith could provide. I felt irate. So fucking irate. Sexuality is not an illness nor a condition that requires remedying. Our sexuality doesn't equate to being insignificant and although I'm not a religious person, the church seems to define being queer with being impure. Oh. Fuck. No. It Looks Like This highlights the influence of the church and their intolerant and outdated judgement.

While Sean is being physically punished, Michael is consigned to Inner Peace, a wellness program for teens with impure thoughts which is not only uncomfortable but alludes to indecency within the parish.
Timothy says, The harm is that you're more likely to contract sexually transmitted diseases, Practising homosexuals are also more likely to suffer from depression and drug abuse, and their relationships are at least twice as likely to fail as heterosexual relationships. According to studies, it's also not an ideal environment in which to raise children.
It's the same bullshit argument in which the church uses to platform against same sex marriage, which still is yet to be legalised in Australia. Any individual or organisation who seeks to deny marriage equality has no fucking right to dictate who we can and cannot love. Click here to learn more about marriage equality and to lend your support.

It Looks Like This is ultimately a cautionary depiction, emphasising the brave and often heartbreaking reality of prejudice and bigotry. Beautifully written and all consuming, debut author Rafi Mittlefehldt has composed a compelling narrative with veracity and compassion. Just phenomenal.

15 comments

  1. I usually avoid reading anything with deep pro or anti religious themes...of course I love zombies ripping people to pieces and great big disasters in my plots so what can I say about that! *grins* Your review is excellent!

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    1. This book is truly phenomenal though. I typically avoid books that involve religion, but it's such an important aspect considering the church and their stance on marriage equality. It hurt my heart in the most wonderful way possible.

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  2. Oh my. I got tense just reading your review because I would hate HATE Mike's parents. Mike and Samuel. God. They need their happy ending. Great review as always Kelly!

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    1. It's so incredibly emotional Verushka. His parents allowed the church to dictate how to raise their child, especially his father. It was rage inducing. It Looks Like This almost broke me.

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  3. Wow. This book sounds really heavy, and honestly, it sounds really good, especially with exploring darker themes. That synopsis drew me in, and your review has got me hooked - it's on my TBR now. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful review - as always, you were eloquent and a pleasure to read :)

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    1. Thank you so much Geraldine, I actually agonised over this review for a while as originally it was a little too aggressive against the teachings of the church. It's a book that could possibly trigger the LGBT community, as the homophobia and bigotry is quite aggressive, but an important read nonetheless. I would love to see what you think of it.

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  4. I really want to read this! It sounds fantastic and well done, but also very heartbreaking. It's horrible that these things happen. It's important to keep telling these stories though.

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    1. I completely agree Lauren. I seen a discussion on the Goodreads book page and subsequent article that the author wrote about why the community still needs these stories and not just affirming narratives. It was insightful and highlighted why it's important to tell all stories, rather than just the positive ones.

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  5. Ahhhh religion. Nothing makes me angrier than religion. So much evil has been done in the name of a god – and be that slaughtering thousands or turning your back on a homosexual child.

    I usually stay away from heavy books on religion or racism or homophobia (which let’s be real is always tied to religion) because they upset me so much.

    This does sound like a truly beautiful book and I think that I will attempt to read it, but later next year when I’m not a hormone bomb waiting for the tiniest ignition source.

    I love that we are seeing more and more books like this :-) I live in hope that by the time my children are adults they we be able to love whomever they want regardless of race or sexual orientation - oh yeah and world peace would be good pfffffft yeah extinction of the human race sounds more plausible lol :-( :-|

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    1. Just when you think the world is more inclusive, someone like Trump is elected and you start to realise how shit people still are. Yeah, probably not a great read for your pregnant emotional state Sarah, but an important read nonetheless. I don't know how anyone can be against the basic human right to love whomever you chose regardless of race, creed or sexual orientation. It's such bullshit that we still have these judgemental assholes in the world.

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  6. This sounds like an interesting read. One of my friends works with LGBT young people, so I should flag it with her!

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    1. I'd be interested to hear what she thinks about it actually, as there's been a discussion about how young LGBT plus teens need more affirming stories.

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  7. Thanks for the very thought provoking review Kels, and for bringing this book to my attention. Working in the media, I've read a lot of articles around marriage equality, and most recently the very annoying and unnecessary plebiscite. It's so bloody annoying that in this time and age, equality still has to be debated about, rather than accepted so we can move one as a country. I'm not sure I would personally be able to pick up this book, because I'd just be filled with so much rage at the injustice that is the world around us. Grr grr. However, I think it's still a topic that needs more light shed upon it because at the end of the day, everyone is human. And everyone deserves a voice, even in the novels we read.

    Thanks for the poignant and beautiful review xx

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    1. Ugh, I'm so glad the plebiscite was voted against, I can only imagine how much damage to communities and children the anti marriage equality advertisements would have had. There were pamphlet drops in my area against equality before the vote. It's just offensive. It's rage inducing, I was so angry at Mike's parents, the church. I was livid. Is so important to tell every story, even the non affirming ones so that others can see themselves. Until the world gets its shit together and stops with the hate and prejudice, communities will continue to need these stories.

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  8. OMG this one definitely sounds incredibly rage inducing with the whole conversion therapy thing which is actually terrible. Anyway, I passed this onto Jenna to read, it actually reminds me a lot of the plot of More Happy Than Not which I've just picked up. Lovely review Kelly!

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