This book might be on your radar, if not for its critical acclaim, then maybe because it’s set in the Toon. A beautiful, well-off Geordie girl scouts average-looking men to model for her artwork. To say I enjoyed Boy Parts would be partially untrue — Irina, the main character, is too deeply unlikeable. She’s also, unfortunately, totally believable as a person, and the story is best when it’s showing how attractive, enigmatic people can wrap the world around their fingers. The difference between her privilege in Newcastle and the perception of her as a working-class Northern girl in the south is also engaging and different. Overall, it's easy to see why the book is beloved, yet I was left wondering what I was meant to take from the story. The novel is critical of art that exists just to shock, but it’s hard to see how Irina’s photography is any different. Maybe it’s enough for art to be aesthetically pleasing and technically impressive, and Boy Parts is certainly both. MG

Influx Press