Grl2grl: Short Fictions

by Julie Anne Peters

In this honest, emotionally captivating short story collection, renowned author and National Book Award finalist, Julie Ann Peters, offers a stunning portrayal of young women as they navigate the hurdles of relationships and sexual identity. From the young lesbian taking her first steps towards coming out, to the two strangers who lock eyes across a crowded train, Grl2Grl shows the rawness of teenage emotion as young women begin to discover the intricacies of love, dating and sexuality.

• ISBN10: 0316086746
• ISBN13: 9780316086745
• Publish Date: 31 October 2009 (first published 1 September 2007)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

grl2grl is a bit of a mixed bag of short stories about queer girls. Some of the stories are happy and cute, but for the most part, they're really sad. I do think it's great that there's such a wide range of tones and themes, so there's a little something for everyone here. I hated some of the stories, and only one really stood out to me in an amazing way, but I did like this collection over all.

★★☆☆☆ Passengers - Tam sees Andrea on the train every day, but has never talked to her despite seeing that she's always alone. And then one day she goes for it, and that's it. I'm sure there's some deeper, profound meaning here, but I didn't sense it. I really liked Andrea though, and how she's not afraid to be herself even if it keeps others at bay. These are two characters I'd have loved to read a full length book about, since these few pages didn't do them justice.

★★★☆☆ Can't Stop this Feeling - I liked this one. Mariah is terrified of being labeled as gay, even though she is. She stalks the classroom that her school's GSA meets in, but never gets the courage to go in. I could definitely believe her fear, but she also wants to let her real self out. It was just a nice, quick glimpse into that fear of figuring out your sexuality but not knowing how to embrace it.

★☆☆☆☆ After Alex - Breakups are hard. I get it. Especially when you don't see it coming. But this was just Rachael moping about after Alex breaks her heart, and then her friends telling her what a player Alex is and how she shouldn't take her back. Then flashbacks of what a player Alex is. Well, duh! I just really do not like stories like this, although it was nice to have one where it was just about real relationship problems rather than LGBT issues.

★★★★★ Inside/Outside - This one started off super cute: card shopping for the crush! I thought that would be it, and I was fine with that. But then...that last line! Ooooh! I want to know what comes next! Dang!

★☆☆☆☆ On the Floor - Basketball. Yawn.

★★★★☆ Stone Cold Butch - This story made my stomach turn. That's just sick and awful. It probably would have gotten another star if not for Taunia. She was super annoying and I don't think added anything to Cam's story.

★★★★☆ Abstinence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder - This was an interesting one which touched on sex, religion and friendship. It opened up with that age old question regarding abstinence: what if you don't plan on getting married? Or aren't allowed to in Aimee's case. Also, why don't sexual education classes talk about same-sex sex? I know mine didn't. This story will make you think.

★★★★☆ Boi - That was depressing. People are so effed up. Seriously. Vince is trans and is saving up for the operation, so for now ze just "binds and packs." Until one night when some jerks take their "fun" too far. Vince's cousin is amazing. But...people suck!!!

★★★☆☆ TIAD - Another one about a breakup, but unlike the first, Hayley is actually trying to move on. She finds someone to talk to in a chat room, then it moves to IMs, and finally to the phone. Then there's a pretty great twist at the end. I would have liked it more if it weren't for the insta-love, which felt very unbelievable given the circumstances.

★★★☆☆ Two-Part Invention - Kat is in love with her friend from music camp. They've been attending for years, and this is the summer before senior year. The last summer. So she's going to tell her. This one was super cute! The ending was cheesy, but it was cute. A good way to end a rather dreary collection.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Jo]

Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.

As she has written so many LGBTQ YA novels, I knew as soon as I started thinking about LGBTQ YA Month that I wanted to review something by Julie Anne Peters. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a struggle to find her books as they don't seem to be published in the UK. I found Grl2grl, and although it wasn't exactly what I wanted at the time, I bought it. And since reading it, I've discovered it's actually pretty spot-on for the month.

Why? Because it highlights the fact that there is such a diversity of people and such individual experiences, even in LGBTQ stories. Obviously, I knew this already, but with reading each short story, one after the other, covering such different ideas or topics, they remind you of just how different we all are, and how we all have that in common, regardless of what labels we give ourselves/each other.

The short stories in Grl2grl cover a range of topics; friendship, romance, sexual abuse, broken hearts, and struggles with sexuality, and they are about characters who are lesbian, transgender and genderfluid. Each an every single story is awesome in it's own right, and I enjoyed all of them, but there are a few I actually want to talk about in more detail.

The first is Passengers, the first story in the book. It's about Tam's interest and curiosity about and blossoming attractiong to Andi, who is genderfluid. I have to admit when I first read it, I was confused; the story is told from Tam's point of view, and I hadn't come across the term genderfluid before that I remember. Did it mean she was transgender? Or something else? I had to look it up, because even the explanation in the book still left me a little confused. Wikipedia says genderfluid is "moving between genders" and the Genderfluidity Tumblr says, "Sometimes we feel male, and sometimes female. Often, we're someplace in between...or else we're both or neither...". Understanding a little better about the character I was reading, I felt such warmth for Tam in extending friendship, acceptance and as much understanding as she was able at the time to Andi, when no-one else would.

'People talk about her. Guys mostly. They call her a dyke. Girls call her a guy. She isn't a guy. Or a girl, really. She's "questionable." Gender fluid.
She's not committing one way or the other, let's just say. Who says you have to? Why do we have to? If I want to dress like a guy, so what? I don't, but if I did . . .' (Passengers, p4)

There were also stories that looked at self-acceptance and he struggle people have with it. In Can't Stop the Feeling, Mariah is struggling to come to terms with the feeling she has, and is trying to find the courage to go to the school's Gay Straight Alliance meetings. Her story is just so sad, and you can't help but want to be her friend, just so she has someone who knows and accepts her for who she is, someone who may make life a little easier for her.

'In my dreams I was happy, whole. I was me. No one cared that I liked girls. I didn't have to keep up this charade or squelch this giant secret that was killing me inside.
I didn't have to. You don't, Mariah. You're not gay.
If I didn't acknowledge the feelings, I wouldn't have to face the fact.
The fact that I was gay.' (Can't Stop the Feeling, p22)

Similar feelings are also discussed in After Alex, a story about Rachael coming to terms with the fact that her ex-girlfriend cheated on her. At one point, when she's thinking about her past, she talks about coming out to her mum, and the dismissive reaction she received, the one that implies "it's just a phase".

'I was gay, yeah. A lesbian, no question. It was just harder for me. Telling Mom. My friends. Mom didn't believe it. She said, "How do you know? You can't know. You're only fifteen." Yes, Mother. You know at fifteen. You know at twelve, thirteen. You look at girls and you know. You sit next to them in class and you feel it. The attraction, the desire. You hold it inside because you're afraid of it, afraid of what it means. You never tell anyone. You hope it goes away. You hope it doesn't mean what you know it does.' (After Alex, p35)

In another story, Absintence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder, about two girls rekindling a platonic friendship after years spent not talking, more importante issues are discussed. During and after a Sex Ed class on abstinence, Aimee talks about the fact that she's not allowed to get married, and religion. I found this story just so awesome! I read Grl2Grl in April this year, just after #MarriageEquality was trending on Twitter when . I was disgusted by Mrs. Errasco's reply to Aimee, but Aimee's views on god had me wanting to shout "YES!", and I'm an atheist.

'"We're not supposed to do it until marriage, okay?" I repeated. "But what if we're not allowed to get married? Like me. How long am I supposed to wait?"...
Errasco ignored us and erased the board.
"I'm serious, Mrs. Errasco. How does this abstinence theory apply to us? Are we never supposed to have sex? Ever?"
She set the eraser in the chalk tray and faced front...
"Well, Aimee." Errasco's eyes lit on me. "I guess that's between you and your god."

I stormed out after class. My god? My god? What did she know about my god? She probably thought that since I was gay, I was godless. Against religion. But I'm not. I have a god. I go to church. My god isn't her god. My god doesn't scorn or condemn me. My god is kind and benevolent and accepting. We made a sacred pact. I'd be the best person I could be and God would save me a place in heaven. My heaven. The real one, where it doesn't matter who you are or how you look or how you sacrifice your dignity and self-respect most days just to be true to yourself.' (Abstinence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder, p76-77)

There are two other stories I have to mention. Stone Cold Butch, about a girl, Cam, who has issues being with someone, and Boi, about transgendered Vince during his transition. Both of these stories deal with sexual abuse/attacks, and I can't tell you how much they broke my heart. I was disturbed, I was disgusted, and I was hurting so much for these characters - more so for Vince in Boi, simply because we see it happen rather than having past events talked about, it just felt like I was there with him and that all I could do was watch his agony. It was horrific, and I had to struggle so hard to hold back the tears in my eyes while on the tube on my way to work.

Each story is different. There are some sad ones, some downright distressing ones, but also happy stories. Lots of different people. Lots of different experiences. One truly amazing book.