Ron Does Stuff

I gotta be honest, reading these Heartstopper books have been an uneven experience for me. Let me explain why under the cut!

Like I said in my review of Heartstopper Vol. 3, while I appreciate the book’s willingness to take on issues that young people are currently facing, I didn’t particularly find its approach to it appealing to me as a grumpy old person. There were a lot of times where I felt like I was reading a guidance counselor pamphlet and it was difficult for me.

And once again, just repeating even if I said it multiple times before, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the book isn’t good. It’s just not for me. And it’s not like I wasn’t moved by certain parts, like Nick’s bisexual coming out scene in Volume 2. There are still things here that I like and resonate with me despite being not the intended audience.

Heartstopper Vol. 4 certainly has more of the things that move me than the previous volume. Moments like Elle underscoring how maybe all the one needs to do to help out a loved one is to tell them “I’m here for you” or “I see what you’re going through” or when Nick and his mother have their heart-to-heart on the beach and Nick admits how helpless he feels with regards to Charlie’s mental health problems. I was also moved when Nick’s mom consoled him but also made him realize that it’s up to Charlie to work things out on his own. Nick saying “I love you” back to Charlie in the rain was also something that tugged at my heart.

I also liked the respective journal entries Nick and Charlie make later on in the book, recounting their time apart when Charlie goes to a treatment center. That the book also doesn’t shy away from saying that Charlie’s mental health problems are probably going to stay with him forever was also a great touch, as well as Nick’s decision to stick beside him through all of it.

After having a little think about it, I figured out why it’s the even volumes that I end up liking as opposed to the odd volumes of Heartstopper. What I’ve noticed is that the odd volumes usually set up and explain the problem/issue/challenge that the characters are facing, and since I am an old man I usually end up feeling like I’m being lectured at when the problem is being set up because I’ve encountered and experienced those things already. That may not be the case for the young adult audience that this is aimed at. For them, this could be something they’re encountering for the first time and they probably need all the set up that the book does.

The even volumes, on the other hand, are where the characters solve/react to the problems they’re facing, and that’s the more interesting part for me and where I can find more relatable moments, despite being an ancient being. It takes me back to certain points in my own life and I was close to tears in multiple part of the book. i can only imagine how much more impactful it would be for teenagers or young people going through these things for the first time or in real time.

Volume 5 is up next but since Volume 4 ended on a cliffhanger that could lead directly into action and won’t require any set-up, I have high hopes. I want to finish this series on a high note!