A brief introduction: this is a book review round-up I wrote at the end of 2017, examining the five YA books with queer protagonists I’d read throughout the year. Not anything super in-depth, but I liked some of the similarities and contrasts I found between the books, and if you have been craving some queer lit, I have several recommendations in here for you. Happy reading!
The Players in A Queer Quintet: Ash, Lies We Tell Ourselves, Moon at Nine, Carry On, and Annie on My Mind.
Four with happy endings, and one very much without. Minor spoilers for denoting which ones have happy or unhappy endings.
(As a side note before we start, I highly recommend Lies We Tell Ourselves, Moon at Nine, and Annie on My Mind. Read Carry On if you love Rainbow Rowell or are starved for queer YA novels, and read Ash if you love Cinderella or are really, really, really starved for queer YA novels.)
Ash (Malinda Lo, 2009)
A lukewarm retelling of Cinderella, but with lesbians, which is an interesting premise, but it doesn’t quite deliver. There is a decent buildup of a romantic relationship between Ash and Li, but the Cinderella aspect detracts rather than adds to the story; you’re left wondering why, with everything that was changed from the original fairy tale, the author didn’t just ditch the glass slippers and write an original novel.
There’s a little hand-wringing over having taboo feelings for another girl, but not in any way that meaningfully impacts the story. Ash has a happy ending, which made me grudgingly like it a little more; lesbians with happy endings are that rare.
Lies We Tell Ourselves (Robin Talley, 2014)
I was very excited for this one, and it did not disappoint; I only wish there was more. Being queer can be dangerous enough in today’s world, but as a black girl during school integration in the 50s? “Deadly” barely covers it (don’t worry, that’s not a spoiler). The characters are excellently fleshed out, and you can almost taste the tension as Sarah and Linda try to fight their feelings, which could quite literally get them (or more likely Sarah and her family) killed. I really wanted their relationship to succeed, and was disgusted and heartbroken at the never-ending slog of racist taunts, threats, and actions Sarah and her peers have to endure on a daily basis. As empathetic as I am, there’s a huge difference between knowing intellectually that that kind of racism existed, and viewing it through the eyes of a real (fictional) person. It was a very good, startling reminder of my own privilege, which gave me a lot to think about.
Another happy ending, which astonished and delighted me. I would absolutely love to read a novel about adult Sarah and Linda’s relationship.
Moon at Nine (Deborah Ellis, 2014)
The diversity present in the small pool of queer YA books at my library was rather surprising; one featuring an African American protagonist, and another set in Iran. Two out of five ain’t bad (but it could be better). The history and culture of Iran is something I am very uninformed about, so on those points alone Moon at Nine was eye-opening and fascinating. To my pleasant surprise, the main characters, Farrin and Sadira, and their romance was endearing and well-written. This book is a little shorter and simpler (by which I mean written for the younger end of the YA audience) than the other entries here, but that doesn’t mean it shied away from the topics that naturally crop up when discussing lesbian relationships in 80s Iran.
On that note, be warned that this is the one without a happy ending.
Carry On (Rainbow Rowell, 2015)
This is the one that frustrated me the most, but that had more to do with the story structure, pacing, and general plot than the queer representation and execution. The problems surrounding the relationship between Simon and Baz didn’t help, however (long explanation short: this is an intentional ripoff of Harry Potter, but basically one where Drarry is canon. Also Draco is a vampire), especially the extremely meandering first half where there is a lot of setup and world building going on without much direction, which means the relationship is also moving in unsatisfying fits and starts.
Once again there’s some vague worrying about “what this means” (i.e., “I guess I’m gay?”), but it doesn’t amount to anything resembling conflict or consequences; it feels like the author ticked off the box marked “requisite Queer Angst.” Happy endings be here.
Annie on My Mind (Nancy Garden, 1982)
Without question, this is my favorite of the quintet, and also happened to be the one I read last. Additionally, it is the oldest of the five, first released in 1982, and has had the most impact on the YA scene. I’m not sure what to say, mostly because it’s just so well-done that discussing it would entail me praising every aspect of the writing, story, and characters. Just, read it.
And the final happy ending to round us out.
Thoughts
Overall, the portrayal of queer characters (which happens to be all lesbians with the exception of the Carry On couple) is positive; they are, by and large, written as people first, gay second. I found no glaring stereotypes or really any problematic aspects of the queer characters, which is good, but . . .
. . . But the stories here are not the only ones that exist in the gay community. Every single one of these books was of the “suddenly realizing I’m gay because I’ve fallen in love with someone” variety, and then dealing with that. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a bad thing by itself. This type of story is enjoyable and necessary to the lexicon of queer literature; it just isn’t the only one (yes, I’ve read Boy Meets Boy and Geography Club, both of which feature plots other than “discovering my gayness”; I just happened to read those in 2016 so am not discussing them here). I’m choosing to pick this bone because I think it’s a good reminder, even though I know these five books are not close to the only ones with queer characters and storylines. But it’s something to think about, which is really my only mission here; to analyze the stories we have and think about how we can make even better ones in the future.
Note that none of these five novels featured any trans, nonbinary, or any definitive, proud bi/pansexual characters—nor any aro/ace. I know books with this representation exist, but the fact that the most recommended and accessible books featuring LGBTQA characters were sorely missing at least three of its number is something else to think about.
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