On top of that, the feeling of ennui cultivated as a result of these issues is shown for what it is; in all of its non-glamour. When the crowd turns violent, Noah runs into the street and meets Dylan, the charming local barman he’s never had the courage to approach. The bestselling LGBTQ+ graphic novel about life, love, and everything that happens in between: this is the fifth volume of the Heartstopper series. From the first screech of his electric guitar upsetting musicians at a folk festival to his writing and paintings, Bob Dylan has risen to become a seminal force in American popular culture. I started reading it immediately (not for any great impatience but rather convenience) and I read over half in one sitting; I finished it off the next day.

The upcoming Smiling Politely album is a beacon of hope for Noah who craves the connection he finds in their music yet lacks elsewhere, but he has to ask himself what he's willing to lose - friendships, dignity, even his sense of self - to just feel like he belongs.

It puts you on the streets of Camden and leaves you with a sense of what might have changed or stayed the same since the earlier heyday of indie bands.

This adds to his existing issues to do with depression, low self-worth, alcohol abuse and lack of motivation. The author articulates with painful precision the anguish, desperation, and loneliness in Noah, and my heart really went out to him. We see how difficult it is for Noah to rid himself of the deep-seated and poisonous belief that he doesn’t matter, that he is worthless, a non-entity. As for grounding, I spent a lot of time in Camden in my first few years in London – I lived there and I worked there, and we usually went to the pub in either Camden or Kentish Town as well. I could empathise with Noah the protagonist’s mentality and mental health to an extent, and thought the way the author interspersed chapters with excerpts relating to his favourite band, ‘Smiling Politely’ (whose fates and fortunes join and juxtapose with his own), achieved a poignant pay-off.

HarperCollins UK publishes a wide range of books, from cutting-edge contemporary fiction, to block-busting thrillers, from fantasy literature and children’s stories to enduring classics.

The Arena of the Unwell by Liam Konemann – A coming-of-age novel about male mental health and queerness in the grimy indie music underbelly that retains humour whilst looking at a toxic relationship and the realities of NHS cuts.

They would have made more sense if the band, or at least their music, would have played a bigger role in the story, but they don't. As his mental health spirals Noah is drawn closer to Dylan and Fraser’s complex relationship, and drifts further from his own best friends — Mairead and Jenny. Additionally, there were several elements of the story which felt underdeveloped or didn't go anywhere. In the indie music scene, this mental health theme interlinks with that of drug and alcohol abuse, which is a key part of how Noah sometimes deals with his problems.

In 2002, World of Books Group was founded on an ethos to do good, protect the planet and support charities by enabling more goods to be reused.Noah, an inexperienced queer guy whose biggest relationship so far has been his obsession with a cult indie band, finds himself getting caught up in the complicated, toxic dynamic between flatmates Dylan and Fraser. I don’t see what it is, but I hear the impact, the clack of teeth knocking together, and Claire choking around the end of a lyric.