The Sidekicks by Will Kostakis

Sidekicks is about three high school adolescents named Ryan, Harley, and Miles, who all share the friendship of Isaac, who has tragically died. Each friend tries to define their friendship with Isaac after his death through a connection between loss of friendship, grief, and guilt. Ryan and Isaac had an extraordinary friendship because Isaac was the only one who knew Ryan was gay. He could be himself, but with the loss of Ryan, he is at a loss for how to protect his secret. Next, Harley's relationship with Isaac was close but inspired by partying drugs, and alcohol. Ths incident leaves Harley feeling guilty after Isaac dies because he did little to stop his friend's downward spiral. Lastly, Miles, who blames Harley for Isaac's death, hides the fact that he feels disconnected from his friendship with Isaac for lack of acknowledgment of their friendship in an article. However, they all learn and grow rather than sink from tragedy. A perfect "exploration of grief from a rising talent that belongs in all libraries serving teens." (Goldsmith, 2017)

Critical Analysis

Sidekicks is a contemporary fiction novel set in Sydney, Australia, by Will Kostaskis. The story is in the first person, and the plot is easy to follow, with the book split into three sections from each boy's perspective. Ryan is genuine and honest, Harley is complicated, and Miles is emotional and intelligent. The story's themes include grief, loss, LGBTQ, and resilience.

The boy's attitudes and lifestyles provide the story's connection to Australian society. Overall, the story feels similar to other western cultures like British and American due to the same language. However, it is authentically Australian due to the author being a native and giving the readers the experiences of Australian life like living and traveling to places like Sydney and Gerringong in New South Wales, Australia.

The strength of this book is that the characters can overcome loss and grief toward a realization of self-worth. Its weakness is that the characters Miles and Harley are not as likable as Ryan. I enjoyed the book and admired the characters' growth after the tragedy they experienced. Readers may enjoy a similar contemporary book by Gary Lonesborough called Ready When You Are, with a similar LGBTQ theme set in Australia.

References

Goldsmith, F. (2017, September 22). The Sidekicks by Will Kostakis: SLJ review. School Library Journal. Retrieved June 9, 2022, from https://www.slj.com/story/the-sidekicks-by-will-kostakis-slj-review

Kostakis, W. (2017). The sidekicks. Harlequin Teen.