Solitaire is Alice Oseman's first book, written in 2012 when she was 17. Its narrator is Tori Spring, the older sister of Charlie from Heartstopper. She is one of my favourite characters from the Netflix TV series because she would suddenly appear silently like a ghost and had an incredibly dry sense of humour. She is a very loving and caring older sister to Charlie. I was also intrigued when her friend, Michael Holden, appeared in Season 3 of the Netflix series. They were great together (excellent casting), as if she'd found her soulmate.
I read this book wanting to spend more time with Tori and get to know her. It's fascinating seeing some familiar characters (Charlie, Nick, Ben, Michael, Charlie and Tori's parents) from Tori's perspective. She's anti-social, depressive, sometimes erratic, a bit of a misanthrope, insomniac, self-loathing. Michael calls her a “manically depressed psychopath”. But she's really likeable and I found myself rooting for her and Michael.
The overall plot is a bit silly and unsatisfying. A myserious blogger called Solitaire orchestrates a series of stunts and pranks at Tori's school, which get increasingly violent and dangerous. Who is behind it and why?
I was more interested in Tori and Michael's weird and abortive friendship and the glimpses of Charlie and Nick. It was compelling and I read it quickly. It's at its most juvenile in the climax of the Solitaire plot (which I won't spoil), but that shouldn't stop you reading this book if you're interested in Heartstopper. It's also an interesting insight into teenage culture from that era (a generation after mine). I missed out on those sixth-form years in a normal mixed comprehensive because I went to an all-boys boarding school for my final two years. But I did find myself picturing it at my old school, Belmont Academy, imagining it as if I'd stayed on, living vicariously. I wonder what I would have been like.