It somehow seems appropriate to share this book with the Curtin University English building in the background. Radio Silence by Alice Oseman tells the story of study machine Frances, whose entire life is aimed at getting into Cambridge. Then she meets Aled, her neighbour from across the street, and for the first time she feels comfortable being herself. But then, the trust between them is broken, and Frances finds herself caught between who she thought she was, and who she could be, and sets out to help her friend – and hopefully, herself too.

This is a slow, gentle book, filled with fragile characters finding their way in a world that tells them that academic success is the only important one. I love the way that parental, personal and school expectations and assumptions about excellence and opportunity are gently probed and critiqued, and I love the gentle strength that Frances shows as she comes to realise that there is another way to be happy. The Welcome to Nightvale references made me happy in my heart, and reminded me that I need to catch up on it. More than anything else, though, I loved Oseman’s signature depictions of gender and sexuality, both through their authentic representations on the page, and through characters’ engagement with and examination of their own sexual identity. A really wonderful read.