Book Review: “Radio Silence” by Alice Oseman

Book Review: Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman is slice-of-life young adult book that centers around themes of friendship, secrets, and the right to choose. It it written from the perspective of the main character, Frances Janvier. The story follows Frances as she makes tough decisions, creates and breaks bonds with other characters, and thinks and does whatever is on her mind. She is described as a study-machine by everyone who knows her, as she is extremely hard working and is always pushing herself to do her best, in order to reach her life goal of attending Cambridge. However, all of that changes after meeting someone who allows her to be her authentic self.

Oseman takes some artistic liberties with how the book is stylized, making it more of an immersive reading experience. The reader can feel as though they are living through the events of the story as the main character, with some chapters being only a couple of pages long; one chapter is a list of bulleted thoughts, and many chapters are excerpts from pieces of media Frances consumes. As far as media goes, this book does a great job incorporating it into the story without it becoming or feeling forced.

Radio Silence is a fun read with some heavy topics mixed in, making it feel more realistic. Every reader can find themselves in at least one of the characters, due to the diversity Oseman always includes in her work. It is more of a character-driven story than a plot-driven one, and if anyone is interested in reading a book like that every once in a while, this is one of the first books I would recommend.