Books › Wayward Son
Wayward Son
416 pages
A chaotic, emotionally messy road trip through the American West that asks what happens after the Chosen One saves the world and loses his purpose.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like riding shotgun in a vintage convertible with your deeply traumatized, fiercely loyal best friends. It trades the cozy, gothic halls of a magical boarding school for the sun-baked, chaotic sprawl of the American West, swapping epic battles for the messy, quiet crisis of figuring out what comes after the happily ever after. The pacing is brisk and episodic, driven by monster-of-the-week encounters that serve as a backdrop for intense, simmering character angst. The prose is snappy and dialogue-heavy, capturing the distinct, overlapping voices of a trio struggling to communicate. It is a bittersweet, deeply affectionate read perfect for anyone who loves queer romance, road trip tropes, and exploring the psychological hangover of saving the world.
- Mood
- restless
- chaotic
- bittersweet
- sun-baked
- Tone
- wry
- angsty
- affectionate
- melancholic
- humorous
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- post-heroic trauma · identity crisis · the myth of happily ever after · shifting relationship dynamics · finding purpose
- The writing
- Snappy, dialogue-heavy, and deeply character-driven, utilizing alternating perspectives to highlight internal emotional landscapes.
- The arc
- Moves from stagnant depression and fractured connection through chaotic forced proximity to a tentative, messy understanding of oneself and each other.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love character-driven fantasy, queer romance, and exploring the psychological aftermath of the Chosen One trope.
Content notes
- depression
- trauma
- fantasy violence
- alcohol consumption
About the book
SIMON SNOW IS COMING BACK, AND HE'S COMING TO AMERICA!
The story is supposed to be over.
Simon Snow did everything he was supposed to do. He beat the villain. He won the war. He even fell in love. Now comes the good part, right? Now comes the happily ever after....
So why can't Simon Snow get off the couch?
What he needs, according to his best friend, is a change of scenery. He just needs to see himself in a new light.
That's how Simon and Penny and Baz end up in a vintage convertible, tearing across the American West. They find trouble, of course. (Dragons, vampires, skunk-headed things with shotguns.) And they get lost. They get so lost, they start to wonder whether they ever knew where they were headed in the first place.
With Wayward Son, Rainbow Rowell has written a book for everyone who ever wondered what happened to the Chosen One after he saved the day. And a book for everyone who was ever more curious about the second kiss than the first. It's another helping of sour cherry scones with an absolutely decadent amount of butter.
This description comes from the publisher. Wayward Son is the second book of the Simon Snow series, the first of which is Carry On; the Simon Snow idea first appeared in Fangirl.
Description from Open Library.
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