Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for sharing a copy in exchange for my honest review.
Words have always been more than enough for Ken Z, but when he meets Ran at the mall food court, everything changes. Beautiful, mysterious Ran opens the door to a number of firsts for Ken: first kiss, first love. But as quickly as he enters Ken's life, Ran disappears, and Ken Z is left wondering: Why love at all, if this is where it leads? Letting it end there would be tragic. So, with the help of his best friends, the comfort of his haikus and lists, and even strange, surreal appearances by his hero, Oscar Wilde, Ken will find that love is worth more than the price of heartbreak. The Importance of Being Wilde at Heart is a quirky literary love story, centered around the story of Ken Z while he discovers love and heartbreak in his island nation. However... I would hesitate to call it a "novel". To read this story, you have to appreciate multi-media compositions, and possess patience in spades. Ken Z's story contains so many important themes: classicism, LGBTQ+ advocacy, banned books, and heartbreak, to name a few. But they aren't consistent throughout the book, which could be serious on one page and lighthearted and quirky on the next. (If I use the word "quirky" twenty times in this review, it is only because I couldn't find a good synonym. Forgive me.) This, combined with the varied formatting, made the story feel less a novel and more a collage. All of its emotional power felt theoretical, because the characters and setting were only metaphors for the real world. Which is why I was not surprised when Ken Z stumbles into Oscar Wilde on the sidewalk, his hero coming to life and giving him advice. I wish I could do that! Oscar comes in sometimes, telling Ken Z about the truths of the heart and sharing words of wisdom. I can't decide if this makes the novel magical realism or if it's just disconnected realistic fiction. Nevertheless, I liked Ken Z. His love for Oscar Wilde, his tendency towards romance, his habit of bunburying. Life in South Kristol is hard--the nation is cut off from everywhere except the privileged and elite North Kristol, but Ken Z persists in his literary life. He reads and dreams and writes. He fell in love so hard it almost hurt, and he turned to Oscar for explanations, and he always believed. I like a character who has hope, and Ken Z has it in abundance. He wants to think the best of Ran, and everyone, and when he was disappointed, I felt punched. The concept of Ran as a love interest was promising, but I could never shake the feeling that he was taking advantage of Ken Z. He's from North Kristol, and despite hearing how militaristically oriented his life is, I couldn't understand why he would spend so much time with Ken Z but not do anything meaningful. Part of me wishes there were flipped POV chapters so we could see the romance unfold from both Ran's and Ken Z's perspective, and understand how their feelings develop. Because Ken Z is such a romantic, I couldn't help but feel bad for him and his unanswered-text and missed phone call anxiety. My favorite characters were Ken Z's best friends: CaZZ and Estelle. They're funny and sweet, and they love him so much, which made me wish all the more that they had more page time. I love reading about supportive best friends, because they really do make a character's world shine. The right friend is the difference between a happily ever after and a tragedy, and it's no different in this story. Even when CaZZ and Estelle are frustrated with Ken Z, they still want to forgive him and support him. They are really good best friends, and I am one hundred percent here for it. Overall, I would give The Importance of Being Wilde at Heart 3/5 stars for its sweetness and its characters. I would recommend it to fans of Adam Silvera and Elizabeth Acevedo, but with the note that while the emotions drawn out are similar, the writing and characters are "wilde"-ly different.
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The BaronessHey, I'm Shreya! I love to read, write, travel, and drink tea. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of bookshop.org and I will earn a small commission if you click the above link and make a purchase.
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