Title: The Dangerous Art of Blending In
Author: Angelo Surmelis
Narrator: Michael Crouch
Publisher: HarperCollins
Run Time: 8 hours and 9 minutes
Category: Teen Fiction
At a Glance: The Dangerous Art of Blending In by Angelo Surmelis is a powerful, own-voices story that is a fabulous addition to the LGBTQ YA space, and Michael Crouch’s performance is close to perfection.
Reviewed By: Jules
Blurb: Seventeen-year-old Evan Panos doesn’t know where he fits in. His strict immigrant Greek mother refuses to see him as anything but a disappointment. His quiet, workaholic father is a staunch believer in avoiding any kind of conflict. And his best friend, Henry, has somehow become distractingly attractive over the summer.
Tired, isolated, scared – Evan finds that his only escape is to draw in an abandoned monastery that feels as lonely as he is. And yes, he kissed one guy over the summer. But it’s Henry who’s now proving to be irresistible. Henry, who suddenly seems interested in being more than friends. And it’s Henry who makes him believe that he deserves more than his mother’s harsh words and terrifying abuse.
But as things with Henry heat up, and his mother’s abuse escalates, Evan has to decide how to find his voice in a world where he has survived so long by being silent.
This is a powerful and revelatory coming-of-age novel based on the author’s own childhood, about a boy who learns to step into his light.
Review: Evan Panos just wants to be invisible for the most part. He just wants to blend in and be normal. He doesn’t want to spend all day every Sunday at his mom’s conservative Christian church, he doesn’t want to go to Greek school, and he certainly doesn’t want to be burdened with the terrible secret he keeps buried inside. Not even his closest friends know what it’s like for Evan at home. Not his friend Jeremy or his best friend Henry. In fact, Henry has never even set foot inside Evan’s house. But the problem with working so hard to blend in is that it leaves you isolated. Evan has no support system whatsoever. No one he feels safe enough to tell about the horrible abuse he has suffered at the hands of his mother since he was five years old. Not even his dad is able to help him, so he probably figures no one else can either.
“My heart is breaking but I know he’s trying in his own fucked-up Dad way. I watch him walk away, across the parking lot. This tall, solid, handsome man who has had no backbone for so long.”
I did love Evan’s dad. I loved their five-a.m. donut ritual, and how hard he tried to know and be close to Evan. He clearly loved his son. Unfortunately, that love wasn’t enough to save Evan from what his mom was doing to him. He needed to also take action and stand against his wife. He did start to come around in the end, but so much damage was already done.
A quick note on the narration here…I DESPISED Evan’s mom. She was unspeakably horrible. But, Michael Crouch’s performance and the voice he did for Voula were so spot on. In the opening scene, where Mrs. Panos and some people from her church, including the pastor, are having a prayer circle in the living room when Evan gets home from school, I was completely entranced by Voula and what was going on, and that was all due to Michael Crouch’s incredible narration.
Evan has a lot going on in his mind this year—his senior year. At church camp he kissed his first boy, and now he’s looking at his friend Henry with completely new eyes. He also finds himself testing his mother more and even fighting back on a couple of occasions, which he has never done in the past. He’s finding it increasingly difficult to keep the secret of the abuse—especially from Henry, who is obviously suspicious—and he’s daring to dream of a life outside of his parents’ strict Greek home.
Reading and listening to Evan’s story was incredibly difficult at times. His life was so hard, and he had so little to be joyful about. His moments with Henry are among his happiest, but even those are fraught with unease. And, though I mostly adored Henry, I did have mixed feelings about their romance. I know that Henry cared deeply for Evan, that he suspected the abuse and was scared for him, and he was obviously in love with Evan. But, he was extremely pushy and acted like a jerk a few times also. Mostly, however, he had Evan’s back, which Evan desperately needed. It was Henry’s strength and support that really helped Evan see his own strength and bravery.
The Dangerous Art of Blending In by Angelo Surmelis is a powerful, own-voices story that is a fabulous addition to the LGBTQ YA space, and Michael Crouch’s performance is close to perfection. As soon as I saw that he was narrating this book I immediately added it to my library, and I’m so glad I did. He is, without a doubt, quickly becoming one of my favorite YA narrators.
You can buy The Dangerous Art of Blending In here:
[zilla_button url=”https://adbl.co/2y5oGBC” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Audible [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/the-dangerous-art-of-blending-in-unabridged/id1337288633?mt=3″ style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] iTunes [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”http://authl.it/B078PSVZMC?d” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Amazon [/zilla_button]
The Novel Approach Reviews 
Leave a Reply