What is Solitaire by Alice oseman about?

It’s taken me a lot longer than I thought it would, for me to read it because it was genuinely so hard to get through. Tori is a depressed teenager who lives in a house where she’s tasked with taking care of her younger brothers, one is literally a seven-year-old and the other is dealing with an eating disorder (and maybe OCD???) and needs some quite serious and adult help, and on top of that her parents are basically absentee parents who do nothing but judge and belittle their children for daring to exist or live outside the binary.

Solitaire is a really complex and well-written novel about an angry girl with mental health issues. She’s angsty because so many teenagers are. She hates Disney and Twilight (and honestly, at her age, so did I), and she doesn’t know how to be happy. But, she makes a friend and she tries her hardest even though it feels like the entire world is on her shoulders dragging her down. The tag line for this book is that it’s “not a love story” and I’ve seen a lot of people dispute that, but I have to agree with the tag. I don’t think this is a love story at all. I think it’s a story about a young girl trying to continue living and trying to keep her family afloat despite not knowing how to. It’s about a girl who can barely stand herself, trying to live and trying to be better and I love Alice Oseman for writing this story. Yes, it is slightly a product of its time because we’re now in 2022, “The Age of Toxic Positivity”. But, teenagers are all different on the inside and some of them do try to break from the mould and they do that in small ways like hating the Top 40 on the radio and not liking Pride and Prejudice. And that’s fine. If we give teenagers the space and support they need to grow, then they will and I think that’s wonderful and that’s why I loved this book.

I’ve decided on a 4 star rating because this is a complicated and well-written novel. Bu,t on the surface level I genuinely wanted to give this only 2 stars because reading from the pov of a depressed teenager is genuinely hard and not fun at all.

But, I think that if we want to bitch about never getting to read from the pov of different character types and angry girls then we should appreciate them when they appear. Tori has a lot on her plate and is clearly depressed (I say this as someone who has never experienced depression, only anxiety) so I don’t think we can fault her for feeling the way that she feels or thinking the things that she thinks. Being a teenager is hard enough, let alone dealing with mental health issues. Yeah, this was a hard read and if you didn’t like it, you didn’t like it and that’s fair enough. But, I think this was a really clever novel, even if I didn’t enjoy actually reading it the whole time.

Also, just a quick heads up for any of the Hearstopper fans who maybe want to read this to see more of Nick and Charlie because they like the graphic novels or just saw the show. Charlie has a quite severe eating disorder and that is mostly what is talked about whenever he is mentioned. This isn’t a cute and fluffy book and it does deal with quite severe and important topics, generally around mental health. I just wanted to mention that, because I think it’s important. I don’t know what I was expecting walking into this, but I definitely wasn’t prepared for how heavy this was going to be. If you want a glimpse at the kind of tone of this book, I recommend reading This Winter by Alice Oseman. It’s a short 100-page prequel to Solitaire and will definitely give you an insight into this book without any spoilers.

Staff writer Linda Hu writes that author Alice Oseman’s writing is engaging and handles many heavy topics.

“My name is Victoria Spring. I think you should know that I make up a lot of stuff in my head and then get sad about it. I like to sleep and I like to blog. I am going to die someday.”

Victoria’s monologue from the novel “Solitaire” by Alice Oseman is about the main character, Victoria (Tori), and her everyday life. She has a sarcastic personality that many can fall in love with. Her pessimistic deadpan humor truly shines when interacting with others. 

One day, Tori, a year 11 student, finds a post-it where she stumbles across a secret group called Solitaire that pulls pranks on the school. From playing music in the halls to messing with the principal, everyone seems to get amusement from them. Tori, who attempts to reveal the truth behind the group, must juggle between her old childhood friend Lucas Ryan, new friend Micheal Holden, and everything that occurs within her personal life. 

Queer author Oseman is also the creator of “Heartstopper”, a well-known and successful comic that has recently gone viral among LGBTQ+ teens due to the recent Netflix adaptation. Her other works include “Radio Silence”, “I Was Born for This” and “Loveless.” Each novel portrays queer representations and realistically delves into mental health.

Oseman’s writing is engaging, with precise word choices and elegant descriptions that leave a long-lasting image in readers’ minds. One thing that stands out the most within all her stories is her courage to handle hard-hitting topics. For “Solitaire”, she heavily suggests any willing readers should consider the content warning before diving into the novel. There are references to suicide and suicide attempts, suicidal ideation, self-harm, depression, eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, implied undiagnosed depression, brief incidents of homophobia and unchallenged misogyny and ableism.

In “Solitaire,” there are no cliche accidents that end with a perfect happily-ever-after. However, despite the author’s promise on the cover that the book isn’t a love story, there is a developing romance within the book between Tori and Michael. The two have a slow, awkward beginning and mostly stay platonic. Their strictly platonic relationship had charm and was entertaining to witness. There is a romantic twist at the end, which leaves many confused and misdirected when seeing their conclusion.

In Oseman’s works, they write about different types of people, creating relatable characters for everyone. Tori is internally judgmental at times and prefers to be alone. She is a Myers-Briggs INFJ, which can be relatable to many with similar personalities. According to the Myers-Briggs INFJ website, “[INFJs] inner vision, personal values, and a quiet, principled version of humanism guide them in all things.” However, Tori’s cold pessimistic thoughts could easily be interpreted as an asexual stereotype, which may be upsetting for anyone who falls on the spectrum. These negative stereotypes could harm any new or questioning queers trying to figure out labels. 

“Solitaire” highlights the ups and downs of every high school experience, but with a twist of mystery. This novel is enjoyable to anyone who enjoys dark, mysterious and angsty YA novels. Readers who resonate with Tori will instantly fall in love with her story. The story would appeal to any queer teens and especially “Heartstopper” fans.

Is Solitaire by Alice Oseman a love story?

What is the theme of Solitaire by Alice Oseman?

Is Solitaire connected to Heartstopper?

Is Solitaire a romance novel?