Georgia herself is a book and story lover – she places expectations on people, events, and the ways in which they “should” go, and most of all on herself and the narrative she feels she should be living as a young person. The perfect tone for an uncertain but observant teen. It’s unpretentious, but not patronising for a teen audience simple, but effective. A part of this is Oseman’s writing style. As a result, her narrative voice is both insightful, but also limited. It all comes back to the clear, boundless empathy Oseman has for teenagers.īy her nature, Georgia is not only shy, but introspective. The attention-to-detail is more than just engaging and well-written, it’s a realistic portrayal of the inner and outer lives of young adults. It’s very movingly and skillfully done, and leaves you feeling intimate with those characters in a way that you would if you spent an academic year with them. Oseman takes us through both the major and minor moments of Georgia’s first year of university, the story packed with details of instances of importance like Georgia’s first night clubbing, to quiet conversations that happen just in Georgia and Rooney’s shared bedroom, or tucked away in a Pride Soc event, or in the car after getting McDonald’s. Fortunately, her randomly assigned roommate Rooney – outgoing, confident, and experienced – seems the polar opposite of Georgia in virtually every way, and more than willing to help her on her quest. As she’s about to start her life at Durham University, lucky enough to have her two friends along with her, there is one concern on her mind: not just that she’s never been kissed, but that she’s never seemed to have had legitimate feelings for anyone, of any gender.

That, and her avid consumption of love stories, particularly fanfiction, leading to her hopeless romantic ways. She’s never really liked anyone either – not for real, anyway – but her two best friends Jason and Pip have kept her going through secondary school.

In Loveless, protagonist Georgia Warr has never kissed anyone. A guide for the teenager you were in your memories, and continue to carry with you. Even for readers no longer in their teens, Oseman’s work feels like retrospective hand-holding. Alice Oseman has her fingers in many creative pies – graphic novelist, author, screenwriter – but this hasn’t stopped her becoming one of the most recognised names in British Young Adult fiction, particularly those exploring subjects of mental health and the struggles of the LGBT community as it pertains to adolescence.

Loveless characters alice oseman