Walker is a subtle masterpiece of a character and I would personally like to petition K.L for a prequel novel all about Walker - please and thank you!īreaking with convention K.L has chosen to invert gender norms and thrown us into a world where women have all the power, following a war that is hinted at but never fully explored. But as much as I like Jude my real favourite was Walker! Walker is the embodiment of every over 40's women trying to stay relevant in a world that devalues you after your late 20's. I think, especially as a woman reading the book, you understand Jude, you feel the pain he feels and the frustrations. Jude might be an unreliable narrator, which we learn as we go through the recollection of his memories, but he is still a likeable character and one you root for. Told from Jude's POV across two timelines - past and present - The Boy I Am is a powerful, thought provoking and brilliant piece of work. I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading but honestly this story blew me away. I can't remember the last time I read a book that left me speechless, moved, uncomfortable, upset and also hopeful. The Boy I Am will still, without any doubt, be in my top 5 by the end of the year. Finding himself entangled in a plot to assassinate the Chancellor, he finally has a chance to avenge his friend and win his freedom. Yet ever since the death of his best friend at the hands of the all-powerful Chancellor, Jude has been desperate to escape the path set out for him. But if Jude fails to be selected before he turns seventeen, a future deep underground in the mines awaits. Once a year, lucky young men in the House of Boys are auctioned to the female elite.

The Boy I Am by K.L. Kettle