As he explores his sexuality, Pete, a gay photographer, experiences the cruelties and injustices of a world completely at odds with the tenets instilled in him during childhood.

While sharing a Notting Hill squat during a seemingly endless summer with friends Mel and Baz, he meets Brad, a mysterious American, at a happening in Chalk Farm. Travelling to California in search of Brad, Pete, seeking love and adventure, ventures halfway around the world looking for answers only to find them back home once he crosses over The Opal Causeway.
From the very first page of this book, I was stunned, mesmerised. Written with a ferocious passion that'll knock the wind out of you!

From sleazy nightspots in London where repressed gay men fear to meet, to the streets of San Francisco where free love comes at a price, the novel follows Pete, and a few of his friends, as he tries to come to terms with his sexuality.
The tenderness of the characterization is balanced against the stark brutality of police and prison guards, and the non acceptance of huge chunks of the population.
The author perfectly captures the birth pangs of gay liberation on both sides of the Atlantic in the early 1970s. The characters are memorable and I wonder what happened next. Sequel please!

The book is in three parts and follows Pete, a gay young man in London and South England and a journey to California.
The first part of the book was lovely, alternating narrators with Pete and his grandfather. Within the little bits sometimes other characters were thinking/speaking which was a smidge confusing.
The second part follows Pete going on an adventure to California, which has some turmoil.
It went from a quite mellow book to one with a lot of tension and sadness. Also the use of a POC character to teach the white protagonist a lesson, didn't sit well with me.
The third part is more similar to the first and quite enjoyable, if a bit repetitive.
Pete is pretty naive, so you have to want to go on the journey with him. The book overall didn't have that much growth in the characters. Baz is a truly unlikable a**hole.
It started off well, but then kinda sagged. It was an ok read for me.

Pete has dreams of becoming a photographer yet is beholden to his responsibilities to his ailing grandfather. When he meets an American, Brad and seemingly falls in love. Pete decides to follow his love from Pete's home in England to Berkeley, California. When he arrives, Brad is less than welcoming yet Pete decides to discover the allure of the American West Coast rather than let Brad spoil his time there.

Pete soon encounters racial tension, an unjust justice system, yet he also begins to form his chosen family. It may take travelling back home to truly find himself.

The story takes place in the early 70's and the dialogue certainly feels accurate to the time period for better and worse. The young, hip dialogue is very fitting, but this causes communication to feel somewhat stilted. This was my only issue with this book. Otherwise, the book is very timely to today's issues while also telling an engaging story. I do recommend this book and look forward to seeing the author's future works.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC.

The Opal Causeway
How beautiful is the title of this book?
So I came across this book whilst searching for an LGBTQ read. The ones I have read recently have left me quite disappointed - this one didn’t. Set in the 1970s, Pete is spreading his wings. Raised in Dover by his Grandad Albert and his step-grandmother Zinny - Pete has upped and moved to London to live in a squat and pursue a career in photography. I loved Pete as a character - he’s gay but he’s not repressed, he is neither in nor out of the closet in the stereotypical way young men of his generation may have been portrayed. He is happy. At a party he meets a young American named Brad - and we are given the impression Brad is Pete’s first love. We join them for a summer of love that ends all to soon when Brad has to go back to the US. Pete takes a job to save up the money to travel over and visit Brad in California. When we get to America we find that Brad isn’t as happy about Pete’s arrival as he should be - and the American dream isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be.
I really enjoyed this book and honestly I’m a bit gutted that I don’t know what happens next. But I found it interesting, gritty and honest. It’s not remotely pretentious and I definitely recommend it.

Really impressed by this debut novel. Hugely moving and very well written - it's a compelling story with strong characters. Set in the past but with themes that translate to the modern day just as well

Sometimes, we travel around the world only to realize that the answers may be back where we started. Pete is learning about himself, the person he thinks is his soulmate, and his family. This story begins in London where Pete meets Brad - He sets off to find Brad in the US and his path to self-discovery takes some wild turns.

There are a lot of issues in this novel that remain timely even though it's set in the 1970s: coming of age, coming out, women's rights, lack of affordable housing, the importance and different between chosen family and blood family.

This book is well-written and it's hard to believe it's a debut novel! Wonderful read.

This was a deep book. I was not anticipating it. It was upmarket literary fiction, which I admit I don't normally read. I did end up finishing it. The book is very relevant in today's world. I enjoyed the prose and style. I greatly appreciate how much work went into creating this book. Thanks to NetGally for helping me broaden my horizons, and for the ARC.