What We Left Behind by Robin Talley

What We Left Behind

by Robin Talley

`A moving YA book. And an important one' - The Telegraph on Lies We Tell Ourselves

What if discovering who you really are means letting go of who you've been?

Toni and Gretchen are the couple everyone envied in high school. They've been together forever. They never fight. They're hopelessly in love.

When they separate for their first year at college they're sure their relationship will stay rock solid.

The reality of being apart, however, is very different. Toni's discovering a new world - and a new gender identity - but Gretchen struggles to remember who she is outside of their relationship.

While Toni worries that Gretchen won't understand Toni's shifting identity, Gretchen begins to wonder where she fits in this puzzle. Now they must decide if their love is strong enough to last.

A powerful new novel from the acclaimed author of Lies We Tell Ourselves.

Praise for Robin Talley

`This is so thought-provoking it almost hurts to read it, yet every word is needed, is necessary and consequently this is a novel that lingers long after you've finished it' - Lovereading

`This is an emotional and compelling read that I did not want to put down. It is [...] beautifully written and the tension just simmers on the pages.' - Bookbabblers

`This book packs a very powerful punch' - Historical Novel Society

`With great characterisation, tough issues covered, and a plot which had me guessing right up until the last pages, this is a must-read. Massively recommended!' - The Bookbag

`This exceptional novel of first love and sexual awakenings is set against a backdrop of shocking racism and prejudice. It is incredibly well written as the tense, riveting story seamlessly combines fiction with historical fact.' - Booktrust

`Every now and then a Young Adult book comes along that I want to push into every reader's hands, both young and old, and Lies We Tell Ourselves is that book for 2014' - Jess Hearts Books

`Talley has mixed two controversial topics together to create a firecracker of a story' - Cheryl M-M's Book Blog

*A Goodreads Choice Awards semi-finalist 2014

Reviewed by Amber on

2 of 5 stars

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This review was originally posted on Books of Amber

Lies We Tell Ourselves was one of my favourite books of the year last year, and when I found out that Talley's next book would be about a girl who is a lesbian and a character who identifies as genderqueer, I was incredibly excited. Unfortunately, I was more than a little let down by What We Left Behind, and the reason for that lies with the character of Toni.

There are two main characters, Toni and Gretchen, but What We Left Behind focusses mostly on the genderqueer character, Toni. Toni started off okay and all, and I was interested in reading about someone who identifies in such a way, and also about someone who is still wondering which label or labels they want to assign themselves, but by the end Toni made me want to tear my hair out.

Toni was incredibly preachy, and when reading from Toni's point of view I felt like I was reading an essay. There was a lot of info-dumping and none of it felt particularly natural, as info-dumps rarely do, and on top of that Toni was a self absorbed prat who didn't deserve Gretchen. I understand/acknowledge/agree that Toni was going through a lot of difficult things relating to gender and identity and sexuality, but those things can't really be used as an excuse here. Whenever Toni had a chapter (i.e. throughout most of the book) I was subjected to an essay about identity and genderqueer-ness and sexuality. And yes, those things need to be talked about and I'm all for representation, but if I wanted to read about them in a non-fiction format then I could have found all this stuff online.

I did, to begin with, enjoy the discussions that the characters had about identity and pronouns and language, but again, it was all put forward in the wrong way, in my opinion.

I've also read a couple of other reviews on the topic of genderqueer representation and they were interesting. You can find one of them here, which talks about how Talley doesn't do a great job of representing genderqueer people. I don't feel like I'm educated enough on that particular identity to provide much of a comment, but the review was an interesting read. I would agree that What We Left Behind seems to label genderqueer as a transitional period rather than a real identity or label.

On another note, I really started to dislike Toni when Toni met two girls and said they have no right to talk about feminism or be feminists until they stop wearing bikinis. Like. Mate. You're completely missing what feminism is about. Do you think we all have to go around in hoodies and jeans to be legit?!

And I suppose I'm going to leave the review here as I don't have much more to say. I'm disappointed, but I'm open to reading more from Talley in the future.

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  • Started reading
  • 28 August, 2015: Finished reading
  • 28 August, 2015: Reviewed