Approaching a book like Loaded feels in some ways like revisiting my teenage self. Although he's not at all like me on the surface there is all the familiar adolescent cynicism and rebellion which is still so easy to taste. The story takes place over roughly a 24 hour period of partying, sex and drugs in Melbourne.
The protagonist Ari is a 19 year old Australian boy of Greek heritage who would scoff at being so neatly classified as he detests labels. Me, I'm neither. It's not that I can't decide; I don't like definitions. He continuously defines the people he meets by their nationality or sexuality or their class his most sneering contempt saved the married, employed, suburban people he defines as Wogs. Just stories, they mean shit.
Words don't stop the boredom. In addition to listening to music and taking a large amount of drugs to remain constantly high Ari has a phenomenal amount of sex.
Because he's young and cute sex with men and women is never too difficult to find in bars, alleyways or at house parties. Testing each other, not wanting to be the first to admit desire. The first to be the faggot.
Ari's blunt attitude towards calling it like he sees it applies especially to the gay people he encounters. Typical for a teenager. In doing so Tsiolkas also highlights a particular problem for many gay men who have to wrestle with concepts of masculinity they've inherited when growing up.
