Two Boys Kissing

by David Levithan

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • STONEWALL HONOR BOOK  •  LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD WINNER  •  NATIONAL BOOK AWARD LONGLIST

"You have to read this.” —Rainbow Rowell, bestselling author of Eleanor & Park and Carry On

From the New York Times bestselling author of Every Day, this love story of shared humanity and history Hypable calls "an interconnecting web that will leave you emotionally exhausted and absolutely thrilled to have read something so beautiful and unique." 

Based on true events—and narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS—Two Boys Kissing follows Harry and Craig, two seventeen-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record. While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teens dealing with universal questions of love, identity, and belonging.

• ISBN10: 0307931900
• ISBN13: 9780307931900
• Publish Date: 27 August 2013 (first published 1 January 2013)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Imprint: Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 208
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780307931900

Reviews

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

4.75★ Audiobook⎮I started and finished Two Boys Kissing in one day. That’s very rare for me, but this was an extraordinary story.

Two Boys Kissing was intriguing on multiple levels, most notably in the way that it was told. Levithan used a Greek chorus to narrate his tale. The Greek chorus consisted of the generation of gay men lost to the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. After recently having read this article about the impact of AIDS on the original San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, I was particularly interested in Levithan’s unique approach.

If you haven’t already deduced from the title, Two Boys Kissing features gay male characters. The fact that Levithan told these boys’ stories through the eyes of their predecessors was hauntingly beautiful. It gave the story an “otherworldly” quality, especially when combined with Levithan’s ethereal writing style. I wasn’t expecting to be so emotionally engaged in this story. But there were numerous times when I was given chills or brought to the brink of tears. The moment that finally did me in was when Levithan described the lost generation as the role models who would-have-been and the current generation as the role models who will-be.

Two Boys Kissing was such a captivating story to hear. A perfect balance was struck between the heaviness of the underlying subject matter and the light heartedness of the story’s current events. Harry and Craig are too high schoolers trying to break the Guinness world record for longest kiss (32 hours). Much of the story takes place within that timeframe, but the omniscient Greek chorus narrator(s) actually follow a few other boys in addition to Harry and Craig. In that sense, the story is told through multiple points-of-view, though always in third person via the Greek chorus. I apologize if that is difficult to understand (it’s difficult to describe!). But trust me, you have to experience it. I’m surprised at how easy it was to follow each of the boys’ stories.

Two Boys Kissing is the type of novel that affects each reader differently. I started listening to it because I was in the mood to hear something different. I finished it with an entirely new outlook on the history of AIDS in America and the crossgenerational impact that it has had. That wasn’t the entire focus of Two Boys Kissing, but it was the aspect of the story that had the most profound impact on me. I’ve already started to look into Levithan’s other work.

Narration review: Around the 75% completion mark, I was so impressed with the narration of this audiobook so much that I had to find out the narrator’s name. I was stunned to discover that David Levithan himself narrated this audiobook. Author narration can be a polarizing topic and I thought I knew where I stood until hearing Two Boys Kissing. Levithan’s jaw-dropping narration skills left me in absolute amazement. His performance was delivered with the kind of feeling and hush-toned reverence that could cause some professional narrators to reevaluate their work. It makes sense that he would have an emotional connection to his own work, but the most impressive part is that he was able to audibly convey that connection to the listener. That is the feat that many professional narrators attempt, but only some are able to achieve. Levithan should be extremely proud of this performance. ♣︎

[Heather]

"David Levithan tells the based-on-true-events story of Harry and Craig, two 17-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record—all of which is narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS."



I'd seen this book around but wasn't really interested.  Contemporary YA isn't my thing.  Then I heard last week that it was narrated by the spirits of men who died of AIDS and I had to read it.

I devoured this book in one afternoon.  When the husband came home that night I told him that a book made me cry - twice.  He was as surprised as I was that a book melted my ice-cold heart.

This is the story of three couples and of a single teenager.  Craig and Harry are exes who are looking to set the world record for kissing at over 32 hours.  They were inspired by a homophobic attack on their friend Tariq.  Craig isn't out to his family.

Peter and Neil have been a couple for over a year.  Neil's family is still not acknowledging his homosexuality.

Avery and Ryan just met last night.  Avery is trans and is worried about letting Ryan know.

Cooper's family just found out that he is gay and the resulting argument drove him out of the house.

These aren't the stories that got to me though.  I think that's because I'm older than the typical YA demographic.  It was the narration of the dead men watching these boys openly live their lives in ways that the men of the 1980s couldn't have dreamed of.

"You can't know what it is like for us now -- you will always be one step behind.

Be thankful for that.

You can't know what it was like for us then -- you will always be one step ahead.

Be thankful for that too."

Those are the opening lines of the book and that's when I started getting teary.  The passage that made the tears roll down my cheeks is later when Craig and Harry was going into the first night of the kiss.  They have teachers watching as official monitors so the record counts.  The teacher that is taking over the shift is recognized by the narrators.

"He's Mr. Ballamy to his history students.  But he's Tom to us.  Tom! It's so good to see him.  So wonderful to see him.  Tom is one of us.  Tom went through it all with us.  Tom made it through."

It goes on to tell the story of a man who lost his partner in the first wave of the AIDS epidemic and stayed in the community to nurse others.

"He lost years of his life to us although that's not the story he'd tell.  He would say he gained.  And he'd say he was lucky, because when he came down with it, when his blood turned against him, it was a little later on and the cocktail was starting to work.  So he lived.  He made it to a different kind of after from the rest of us.  It is still an after.  Every day it feels to him like an after.  But he is here.  He is living.....

.... But this is what losing most of your friends does:  It makes you unafraid.  Whatever anyone threatens, whatever anyone is offended by, it doesn't matter, because you have already survived much, much worse.  If fact, you are still surviving.  You survive every single, blessed day."

I would recommend this book to everyone.  Younger people will likely identify with the problems of the teens in the story.  Older readers, especially those of us who remember the 80s, will think of all of those lost to the disease whose stories were never told.This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story

[KitsuneBae]

Actual: 2.5 stars


I really tried to love this book but everything just felt wrong. The manner of storytelling didn't work for me. I couldn't relate to the characters. What do I care about Tariq, Harry and Craig, Peter and Neil, Avery and Ryan, and Cooper? Everything felt so surreal... in a negative way. I felt so detached that even though it's a relatively short book, I felt like I've read a 500-page book that contained boring essays about philosophy. Le sigh.

[nannah]

I'm torn . . .

On one hand, I LOVE that this is a beautiful, poetic tribute to gay boys, but on the other hand . . . I'm not sure if I actually enjoyed the book?

Content warnings:
suicide
homophobia
homophobic slurs

Two Boys Kissing is a plotless, read-for-the-experience type book from the collective PoV of gay AIDs victims. They visit Cooper, a depressed boy who runs away after his parents find out he's gay, two boys who meet at a gay prom (one of whom is a trans boy), two boys who are trying to break the world record for kissing, and two more boys already boyfriends. They sort of also visit Tariq, a black gay boy, whose entire purpose in the book is to support the two boys kissing--even so much so that he has the solid word line: solidarity (which seems slightly backward), and his pov doesn't get a separate chapter as often (or barely) as the others or as much focus or care.

I could also tell the book was written by a white author when I read this: "People like to say being gay isn't like skin color, isn't anything physical. They tell us we always have the option of hiding. But if that's true, why do they always find us?"

Why do people always feel the need to compare sexuality to skin color when they're two different experiences and are not really comparable? People keep trying to find ways to make being gay on the "same level" of oppression as being black, asian, latinx, etc.. . . and it's such a tiny paragraph here, but it still makes me roll my eyes.

Characters often break into lectures, too, that seem awkward and preachy. I expect it from the narrators, but it's strange coming from the characters' mouths in casual conversation. It feels like David Levithan just has so many points he wants to cover that he loses track of them and whether or not they're placed in the right spots. They're just kind of thrown in to make sure they actually made it in the book somehow.

I guess I'm not sure if I'm the right audience for this. Maybe it's for gay boys or for people who should be educated/more exposed to the LGBT+ community (which is like, pretty much everyone). However, as a queer woman (sorry for the q slur), this book was kind of isolating, too, only mentioning girls as a side note or as friends to the characters, and only once mentioning LGBT+ women. Only once. This book was mostly written from a white experience, too, which can be isolating as well.

Anyway, it was a nice read, but I probably won't read it again.

[Stephanie]

I am all for experimental fiction (it's my jam), but the sections categorized by the "we" narrator (which were the AIDS victims) kept throwing me off and really taking me out of the novel.

[Angie]

Two Boys Kissing is something special. I didn't love it as much as I hoped, but it's still an amazing and touching read. Based on real events, Harry and Craig are set to break the world record for the longest kiss while also making a statement. They've practiced and worked out all of the logistics with help from friends, and now the day has arrived. The two boys stand in front of their high school and begin kissing. At first no one is watching except for close friends and family, but then more people gather, their livestream goes viral, and soon it's a global event. I was right there with the rest of their spectators, cheering them on!

I took me a little while to settle into the narrative of Two Boys Kissing. I knew it was going to be from the perspective of the previous generation of gay men who dies and paved the way for Harry and Craig to do what they're doing, but I was still a little thrown. This was only the second book I've read from the view point of a collective "we" but I do think I like it. However, I don't think it worked as well for me in this one. I thought there was a disconnect, since we have no idea who the narrator is, and we only get their thoughts and feelings on the current situations rather than any of the active characters. I would have liked it more if there had been identifiable individuals telling their own stories around the other stories.

Two Boys Kissing is so much more than just Harry and Craig breaking a world record. Like I just mentioned we're also told about the struggles of the men who came before them, but they also tell us about several other boys around town who are struggling or finding acceptance. Tariq is their friend and supporter who they're partially doing this for after he was beaten and left in an alley. Neil and Peter are out and together, but Neil's parents don't really see him. Cooper lives a double life...or several...and his coming out does not go how anyone hoped. Finally, there's Avery and Ryan who have just met but are enjoying every moment together. All of these boys' stories end up being connected in some way, and I enjoyed getting to know all of them, even just a little.

This is probably going to sound strange, but beyond all of the big stuff like the messages about acceptance and LGBT rights, my favorite part of Two Boys Kissing was the little details about Harry and Craig actually working toward their record breaking kiss. Can you imagine standing (that's a rule) for over 32 hours with no breaks? They can't leave to use the bathroom, and no diapers were allow! They had to hold it, wet themselves, or whip it out in front of all the cameras. They also had to drink very carefully through straws as to not dehydrate or break the kiss. We even learned that they wore orthopedic socks to keep their circulation flowing! I just really appreciate little things like that which make the story feel more real.

Two Boys Kissing is quite amazing. I don't think I have anything left to say about it other than that. It's just a great read, and I think it'll be an important one to show people that they're not alone.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Jo]

Own a copy, but reviewed the US edition. See my review here.

[inlibrisveritas]

Two Boys Kissing surprised me by being one of the rare books that truly pull me in and make me cry. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again I’m not a crier, and it takes a whole lot to make me break down. Levithan has provided a uniquely told story about several people that touched my heart and broke down my barriers.

At first I had some reservations about this book because of the unconventional style of the narrative. It’s told by a sort of Greek Chorus, which are a generation of gay men who passed away due to AIDs. At first it was a bit odd but after awhile it became an incredible way to learn everyone’s stories because in some ways the reader is not only reading about a group of teenagers but also about the men narrating the story. The narrative is incredibly honest and I appreciated the look at what it was like then, now and what it will be like for future generations.

The group of young men that this book centers are varied and not without their flaws, but each of their stories are heartfelt and there is something to be learned from them. Much of the book centers around Harry and Craig, who are determined to set a world record for the longest kiss in order to send a message that love is love and it shouldn’t matter what gender you are. Their story is intermingled with the others in varying degrees and in some cases affects their lives. This book is the human condition on display. We get to see those who have struggled and feel that they’ve lost, those who found themselves in a struggle but unable to do anything about it, those who have it ‘easy’, and those who make it difficult for others. Some of it is enough to make you cry and others makes you want to scream, and I was right there with the Chorus wishing and pleading with some of the characters.

I don’t readily pick up emotional books and when I do they almost always blow me away and leave me raw. Two Boys Kissing was no different. I’m incredibly glad that this was my last book of 2013 so that I ended on a high note. If you’ve been curious about this one then I urge you to go pick up a copy, grab a box of tissues and devour it.

[kimbacaffeinate]

4.5 I have mad love for David Levithan and have read his last few books. To be honest, I prefer the ones he writes solo as I love his voice. Two Boys Kissing was one I entered with trepidation. I am an emotional reader and I knew this would be a heartfelt journey. David has a gift for capturing human emotions, fears, failures and triumphs. He captured all of this and more in this beautiful tale. Three word review: beautiful, honest and filled with life lessons.

The tale is narrated by “a Greek Chorus” of gay men from the generation lost to AIDS. Their generation was a time of rebellion, fear, anger and loss, but they helped pave the way for the society we have today. While we still have work to do as a whole, each day we make new strides towards equality and acceptance. Through the chorus, David takes us into the lives of several young, adolescent gay boys. His characters, Harry and Craig, two seventeen year old boys, set out to break the Guinness World Record by kissing for thirty-two hours. The tale that unfolds shows both the ugly and beautiful side of growing up different. From first love to family rejection, David weaves us in and out of the lives of some remarkable young men who are just trying to find their piece of happy.

The characters in Two Boys Kissing are flawed, beautiful, emotional, lost, and hopeful. They will tug at your heart-strings as they share their lives with you. Their issues are easily identifiable and while they struggle with acceptance this tale could easily be about a fat girl, a child with a speech impediment, a black boy at an all white school. David skillfully peels back the layers to these boys exposing their desires, fears and most of all their capacity to love and need to be loved. Each boy we meet has his own voice and I connected with them. I felt anger at the injustices and unnecessary hurts they encountered. The voice of the “Greek Chorus” was interesting. They were observing the boys along with us. Imagine if you will a bunch of men gathered around a television giving advice to a football team. The football team cannot hear them, but they shout advice, yell, “go for it” and reminisce about the good old days when they played the game. I found this voice to be unique, it allowed David to tell a story within a story, and offer insight in a show not tell way. It took a little bit for me to adjust to these voices, and separate them from the story, so go with it in the beginning.

Two Boys Kissing delivers a powerful message of love, hope and faith. Without preaching the author shows us both sides from the families themselves to the community. Some of the hatred they face for being themselves is cruel. We feel their helplessness, their anger but more than that we feel their need for acceptance and love. Some of the events were based on true events. I recommend you read David’s message in the back of the book. Levithan has written a powerful, inspirational, story in an non-accusatory way that delivers hope to young men and woman. His message is for those who are feeling lost, seeking acceptance, and are fearful of rejection. He does this all while shedding light to the outsider (the straight child, the parent of a gay son, the grandmother who thinks it’s a choice) making these boys more than just a label. I laughed, I cried, I became angry and I prayed as the story unfolded. David allowed me to mingle in the crowd, feel the emotions from all sides and race to that bridge as my heart pounded. I consumed this in one sitting and cannot wait to share it with others.

Copy received in exchange for unbiased review and originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer