I have a couple of confessions to make from reading this book. First, I ashamedly had to Google ‘what is an oboe?’ about two chapters in. (Spoiler, it’s like a skinny clarinet.) Secondly, I will be employing my favourite line from the book — ‘I embody the Nike swoosh, I just do it’ — as my new catchphrase from here on out. And finally, I thought I was signing up for a cute and fun young adult contemporary novel about travelling, first love and finding yourself. While Phil Stamper’s As Far As You’ll Take Me is all those things, it is also a lot more.
Phil Stamper
In this delightfully moving coming-of-age story, Marty arrives in London with nothing but his oboe and some savings from his summer job, but he’s excited to start his new life. One where he’s no longer the closeted, shy kid who slips under the radar and is free to explore his sexuality without his parents’ disapproval. But Marty knows he can’t keep up the façade of happiness forever.
I enjoyed journeying with Marty through both his high moments and low moments, dealing with things like religion, eating disorders, mental illness, homophobia, and toxic relationships. A major part of this story was centred on the anxiety he felt about leaving behind his old life and how it was overshadowing his new experiences. The way Stamper writes, it’s like you can feel the racing heart beat, the inconsistent breathing. It’s immersive and emotional, giving you a real understanding of what the character is going through.
Not only is Marty an endearing lead, but the book boasts a cast of fun characters that offer some great representation and help address a lot of taboos through their accepting and embracing friendships. Some of the complicated things in the story are made lighter and more easily understood because it doesn’t shy away from showing these characters having those difficult conversations.
Above all, for me As Far As You’ll Take Me is a book about chosen family and the idea of sometimes having to leave home in order to find it. But fear not! Along with the serious tone of the book, there is still so much fun and proper YA ‘will they, won’t they?’ cuteness to be found.
—As Far As You’ll Take Me by Phil Stamper (Bloomsbury Australia) is out now.
As Far As You'll Take Me
Now that Marty is almost 18, he's about to decide what he wants for his future, and finally moving to London is it. He arrives with nothing but his oboe and some savings from his summer job, but Marty is excited to start his new life--where he's no longer the closeted, shy kid who slips under the radar and is free to explore his sexuality without his parents' disapproval.
To his friends back in America, Marty's life looks like a perfect fantasy: in the span of a few weeks, he's made new friends, he's getting closer with his first ever boyfriend, and...
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