A heartwarming and honest read, Finding Nevo is a charming story of self-discovery and love.
The memoir deals with some complex and relevant issues such as sexuality and gender identity, and while these kinds of stories tend to take on a tragic or depressing tone, Nevo keeps it light and relatable, making it an enjoyable read that leaves you feeling satisfied at the end.
It’s a deeply personal book and Nevo Zisin lays everything on the table, welcoming us into their life and inviting us to just listen, without judgement. Their story is written in a way that can be understood whether you’re well-versed in gender and sexuality, or you’re still learning. Nevo treats the readers with patience but never condescension, explaining terms a cis-gendered reader might not understand but doing it so that it never feels like they’re trying to lecture us. Rather than reading like a textbook on gender theory, Finding Nevo feels like an experience that’s being shared with us, and that’s exactly what it is.
For a cis-gendered reader, it’s a comprehensive entry into the lives of queer youth, with the honest first-person perspective making the readers view Nevo as a person rather than a victim or an example. Many of Nevo’s experiences are relatable to anyone, which makes it easy to break down the idea of “us vs them” that’s too often pushed by mainstream media.
For trans readers, or anyone exploring their gender or sexuality, this book feels like a bit of relief. It’s a relief to read that someone has had similar experiences to you, or just to know that you’re not alone in the way you live your life. There’s also relief in knowing there is no universal experience and there are many paths that lead to self-discovery. Finding Nevo is hope, too; it’s proof that finding yourself doesn’t have to end in heartbreak and that you can find a community.
I feel grateful that Finding Nevo exists. It’s refreshing to see a book filled with so many positive things, a book that’s written by a queer person rather than about them. I hope there are more books like this in the future.
Finding Nevo by Nevo Zisin is available for sale here!
Acclaimed writer Bill Bennett unearths a new satisfyingly dark and entertaining series in ‘Palace of Fires’. The debut novel in the series–‘Initiate’–follows the story of Lily Lennox, a teenage girl living with her single mother on a farm on the outskirts of San Francisco, California. Lily’s seemingly normal and idyllic life, however, is thrown into …
Marcus Zusak’s captivating debut novel follows the story of Liesel, who witnesses the death of her younger brother while on a train through Germany. When she discovers a novel hidden in the snow while standing by her brother’s grave, Liesel pockets it, despite the fact that she has not acquired the ability to read. When …
With the arrival of the new Netflix series, now is a perfect time to sink your teeth into Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. This series is unique and one of my favourites; Snicket’s narration is satirical, morbid and hilarious all at once, and although he will warn you many times that the books …
Skulduggery Pleasant follows herione Stephanie Edgley, whose uncle–a famed horror author–dies mysteriously, leaving Stephanie with his fortune and mansion, but as Stephanie spends the night in her late uncle’s house, she is thrust into a magical underworld full of murderous hunters, vampires, ghosts and monsters that appear to mirror those written about in her uncle’s …
Take Three Girls is the collaborative effort of YA writers Cath Crowley, Fiona Wood and Simone Howell. It follows the lives of three boarding school girls as they find themselves under attack from a cyber bullying presence and form an unlikely friendship. `The novel covers all the intricacies of female friendships in a way that [...]
Elizabeth Murmur is moving with her unusual friend Zenobia to Witheringe House, the place where her dad grew up with his sister Tourmaline. Zenobia loves it and is convinced that there is a Spirit Presence in the East Wing, where they are forbidden to go. She tries to contact it using a book on clairvoyance, …
Book Review – Finding Nevo by Nevo Zisin
The memoir deals with some complex and relevant issues such as sexuality and gender identity, and while these kinds of stories tend to take on a tragic or depressing tone, Nevo keeps it light and relatable, making it an enjoyable read that leaves you feeling satisfied at the end.
It’s a deeply personal book and Nevo Zisin lays everything on the table, welcoming us into their life and inviting us to just listen, without judgement. Their story is written in a way that can be understood whether you’re well-versed in gender and sexuality, or you’re still learning. Nevo treats the readers with patience but never condescension, explaining terms a cis-gendered reader might not understand but doing it so that it never feels like they’re trying to lecture us. Rather than reading like a textbook on gender theory, Finding Nevo feels like an experience that’s being shared with us, and that’s exactly what it is.
For a cis-gendered reader, it’s a comprehensive entry into the lives of queer youth, with the honest first-person perspective making the readers view Nevo as a person rather than a victim or an example. Many of Nevo’s experiences are relatable to anyone, which makes it easy to break down the idea of “us vs them” that’s too often pushed by mainstream media.
For trans readers, or anyone exploring their gender or sexuality, this book feels like a bit of relief. It’s a relief to read that someone has had similar experiences to you, or just to know that you’re not alone in the way you live your life. There’s also relief in knowing there is no universal experience and there are many paths that lead to self-discovery. Finding Nevo is hope, too; it’s proof that finding yourself doesn’t have to end in heartbreak and that you can find a community.
I feel grateful that Finding Nevo exists. It’s refreshing to see a book filled with so many positive things, a book that’s written by a queer person rather than about them. I hope there are more books like this in the future.
Finding Nevo by Nevo Zisin is available for sale here!
Related Posts
Book Review – Initiate (Palace of Fires #1) by Bill Bennett
Acclaimed writer Bill Bennett unearths a new satisfyingly dark and entertaining series in ‘Palace of Fires’. The debut novel in the series–‘Initiate’–follows the story of Lily Lennox, a teenage girl living with her single mother on a farm on the outskirts of San Francisco, California. Lily’s seemingly normal and idyllic life, however, is thrown into …
Book Review – The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
Marcus Zusak’s captivating debut novel follows the story of Liesel, who witnesses the death of her younger brother while on a train through Germany. When she discovers a novel hidden in the snow while standing by her brother’s grave, Liesel pockets it, despite the fact that she has not acquired the ability to read. When …
Book Review – A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
With the arrival of the new Netflix series, now is a perfect time to sink your teeth into Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. This series is unique and one of my favourites; Snicket’s narration is satirical, morbid and hilarious all at once, and although he will warn you many times that the books …
Book Review – Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
Skulduggery Pleasant follows herione Stephanie Edgley, whose uncle–a famed horror author–dies mysteriously, leaving Stephanie with his fortune and mansion, but as Stephanie spends the night in her late uncle’s house, she is thrust into a magical underworld full of murderous hunters, vampires, ghosts and monsters that appear to mirror those written about in her uncle’s …
Take Three Girls – by Cath Crowley, Simmone Howell & Fiona Wood
Book Review – Elizabeth and Zenobia by Jessica Miller
Elizabeth Murmur is moving with her unusual friend Zenobia to Witheringe House, the place where her dad grew up with his sister Tourmaline. Zenobia loves it and is convinced that there is a Spirit Presence in the East Wing, where they are forbidden to go. She tries to contact it using a book on clairvoyance, …