Blind Spot (Robyn Dennison, Text)

Robyn Dennison’s debut novel Blind Spot is a sophisticated, challenging novel that explores themes of personal responsibility alongside a duty of care for others. Dale is a ‘nice’ guy who’s happy just hanging out and getting stoned with his best friend, Kieran. But he’s weighed down by the guilt of having witnessed a moment at a party in which, if he’d intervened, he could have prevented a sexual assault. For months Dale has been spiralling deeper into self-loathing, obsessing over his inaction and what it probably led to, as well as what it reveals about who he is as a person. When his cousin Max (Maxine) moves in with him and his dad to recover from an eating disorder, Dale is forced to confront his failure to act. As a witness to assault rather than the survivor or perpetrator, Dale is a fascinating subject for a novel that gives voice to difficult issues such as shame, masculinity and fear. Dennison writes Dale with great depth and empathy, capturing his struggles as he navigates his first gay romance while holding him accountable for his apathy and inaction. Blind Spot was shortlisted for the 2021 Text Prize and is a compelling, important novel for young people.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Bec Kavanagh is a Melbourne writer and academic, and the youth programming manager at the Wheeler Centre. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Category: Reviews