Boy Meets Boy

by David Levithan

[layawaydragon]

This is my first David Levithan novel and I love it. I see why he's so popular.

I do see the similarity to John Green, but David's kids and life seems more mundane and less try-hard quirky. (Maybe I just don't know anything about artsy and creative people.) The QUILTBAG setting and expression is so different and amazing. It's refreshing. I feel in love with it and didn't hamper the story at all. It made me wistful and more adamant in my beliefs, if anything.

It is dated with technology moving forward but **shrug**. Can't fault the author on that and it's still a great story. Okay, so it is insta-love but I've forgiven worse couples and they have to work on being together. And Paul has to work on himself.

It's very sweet and optimistic escapism. I wish this town wasn't so far out there, so it could be just another romantic high school tale like all the heteronormative YA. **sigh** But it is what it is and I'm glad Boy Meets Boy is here. I know too many people that have asked for this kind of book, town and narrator.

Paul is a young gay man who's never struggled or questioned his identity. It's not about being gay and traversing life for him. It's a kid falling love with the mistakes, misunderstanding, and high school drama. He deals with his ex, a friend dating a douchebag, and a friend that isn't free to be gay openly.

The ending made me tear up.


For Darlene, who would appreciate the on-point makeup game:


(show spoiler)[ I will admit, I do wonder how all the kids got up to the clearing that late with no gear and several girls in heels. Maybe my image is wrong, but I re-read the passage where Paul talks about it and I'm not sure anymore. But it still bugs me.

I will say I did not like Paul's best friend Joni sticking with Chuck, but I guess you can't win them all. He's suck an asshole. He uses the wrong pronouns for Darlene on purpose. Fuck that! I wish they made a bigger deal of this and cast his ass out.

Kyle fits too many negative stereotypes of Bi people. It's really sad to see. Paul being such a hero that doesn't struggle made their interactions all the more difficult to read. Poor Kyle! I'm glad they work some stuff out but Kyle isn't portrayed very well from Paul's point of view.

The only other thing is Infinite Darlene. I liked her but I'm worried again about portrayal and identity. From what Paul says on page 25, “Few remember Daryl since Infinite Darlene consumed him so completely”, it sounds like Darlene is trans*. But she's proud as a drag queen, and cool with that label, which is what I'll call her cuz you don't fuck with someone's identity like that.

Is it wrong for me to wonder? I know some trans* people have been involved in the drag scene for a multitude of reasons, including being a place to express themselves before coming out or transitioning. Drag is way more acceptable socially (though we cannot forget or roll over their struggles) than being a trans* person. Was it the author's way to get around writing about trans* people explicitly or is Darlene just following in their foot steps?

If Darlene was a real person, I'd never question her identity and feel so uncomfortable doing so, but books aren't written in a vacuum and representation is important. ] (hide spoiler)

Boiled down it meshes how well these criticisms match with the criticisms of the LGBT community with treatment towards the Bi and Trans* people. It's a mainstream representation and that's why I won't call it a “utopia” because even here, it seems we're not quite there yet.

And I have to point out:not everyone is on the spectrum. There are heteronormative people, Paul just doesn't really interact, notice or care about them much.

Maybe it all comes down to Paul's perspective. If you don't like Paul, I don't think you'll like Boy Meets Boy.