Review by Frank Plowright
The many millions of Heartstopper fans will be overjoyed that what was planned as a series of five graphic novels will now extend to six, so Volume 5 isn’t the conclusion after all. After starting with a drama concentrating on Charlie and Nick’s steps toward a relationship, Alice Oseman has begun introducing themes for each edition. Volume 4 concentrated on Charlie’s mental issues, from which he’s now recovering, and the prospect of university looms large here.
With Charlie now sixteen he’s reached the age of sexual consent, and while the previous year Nick wasn’t ready for a sexual relationship, is it still the case? The wondering is seen from Charlie’s view, with Nick at first just the figure of obsessional lust, but eventually Oseman presents the faltering steps in the same charming way she supplied the start of their relationship. However, it’s also prolonged too long, with a succession of false starts occupying months before there’s an injection of real drama.
Oseman’s approach throughout has been to focus on emotions, but a pleasing aspect of Heartstopper is featuring apologies. With so many readers now on board, it’s a point worth making as plenty of people feel their desires over-ride any consideration for others so apologies aren’t necessary. It may be feasible to navigate school life that way, but beyond that bubble not apologising will rapidly result in losing friends, or not making them in the first place. Another speciality is small moments transmitting as so real, such as Nick checking the time and distance between himself and Charlie before going to sleep.
As ever, Oseman’s art is relatively simple, but strong on personality and emotional response. It works for most of the book, but a scene about the grandeur of Oxford would have been better dropped than presented so basically.
For the second half Charlie is relegated to supporting act as Elle and Sahar accompany Nick on a series of university visits. Nick plans to attend the nearest university in order to remain near Charlie, but he hasn’t really thought everything through, and a scene when some truths are explained to him is nicely timed. Countering that is yet another cast member being used as an example of the sexual spectrum, which unusually for Heartstopper transmits as box-ticking because it’s just a very small part of someone else’s story. As has been the case most of the time, Charlie and Nick are the focus while the supporting cast can have brief moments, but they’re largely sounding boards. However, Charlie and Nick are so well developed and their feelings so well transmitted that Volume 5 is another satisfying instalment.
