Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Don’t be misled by the book blurb for ‘The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King’, it is so not “Heartstopper meets Derry Girls”! But it’s a fun breezy read nonetheless, about exuberant teen Patch, who like the title says, is a total drama king, exaggerating the most minor inconveniences as if they were major catastrophes.
This romantic-comedy by Harry Trevaldwyn follows 16-year-old Patrick AKA Patch’s resolve to find himself a boyfriend before prom in the new school year and land the lead role in the drama club. He ropes in the help of best-friend Jean, also his romantic advisor courtesy her two month long relationship with her ex-boyfriend. At school, Patch’s chances of striking a spark with someone seem extremely bleak, but at the drama club, which is also attended by other schools in the town, he sees two new potential candidates, a confident, handsome American called Peter, and Max, an equally attractive but shy local British boy.
Now, here’s the thing, I only read the blurb for ‘The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King’ AFTER I finished the novel and was submitting a review online for it. It was on a list of recommendations for ‘Pride Month’ readings, and this was the most affordable title, which is why I instantly bought it. And there were no expectations of reading something that was a mash of ‘Heartstopper’ and ‘Derry Girls’.
Protagonist Patch is a true drama king, loud, overtly chatty, theatrical, self-centered, quite annoying in parts, but also a hilarious over-thinker. ‘The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King’ begins with Patch writing a dramatic letter to a pen-friend called Pierre and then making a resolution to get his first boyfriend before prom, just like the very many movies he consumes. Predictable, but also cute. And like any dramatic lead character, he also has an ‘arch nemesis’, a girl called Tessa, who used to be his close friend, but she dumped him and Jean for a more popular clique.
Most of the novel follows Patch as a hyperactive over-thinker, torn between whether he should pursue the cool and confident Peter or the more reserved Max, before even befriending them or finding out if they’re into guys. His best friend, Jean, of course, reminds him of this, kicking off their awkward, comedic mission to learn more about the boys and see if Patch has a real chance with either of them. Jean turns out to be a sweet, endearing character, happy to play the supportive sidekick to Patch’s chaotic “main character” energy.
Despite Patch’s exaggerated view of the world, author Harry Trevaldwyn keeps many in the tale events grounded in realism and the tone is almost always comedic. Patch frequently finds himself in embarrassing situations, much like any regular 16-year-old with big dreams of becoming a famous actor but no tact when it comes to navigating people or emotions. Whenever he is utterly conflicted about something, he simply barges into a teacher’s room for advice, which was very sweet – that a teen student trusted a teacher enough to discuss his personal problems. Other times, he relies on his divorced mom’s self-help book for older readers. LOL.
Overall, ‘The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King’ is a quick, easy-to-read teen fiction novel, where a lot might depend on how much the reader ends up liking Patch the protagonist.
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5.
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