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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a weird, nostalgic fever dream of a book. I didn't go to a private school, or have a trans best friend who I idolized, and my graduation took place before 2001, but all of this feels warm and familiar and painful in ways I recognize. Was it perfect? No. But it was correct. (Also, Kristen DiMercurio's narration hits right in the good place in my ears, so that helped.)
reflective
sad
medium-paced
There are so many wonderful elements to Idlewild that make it a terrifically enjoyable novel. For certain audiences (lol like me, though I’m perhaps a few years younger than the protagonists) it definitely has a certain nostalgic appeal. Set in the early 00’s the novel focuses on the burgeoning friendship between queer teens Nell and Fay, seniors at a Quaker high school in NYC (their friendship begins on 9/11.) The protagonists are funny, self-aware, awkward, gross and I was instantly drawn to them. I definitely saw myself in their quest to find the gay in everything (there was not a high school text I was not down to find the homoeroticism in! )
Another element that kept me interested was the mystery. Weaving between past and present, we see the nervous beginnings of this friendship, but in the present we are reminded that this friendship only lasted for about the span of the year. What drove F & N apart? An argument? Time? This is the question I kept finding myself coming back to and it, in combination with the humor and well-developed characters, kept me invested in the plot. When the revelation comes…well it’s all a bit too calm for me, and while I sympathize with Fay, I was very annoyed. From there my interest waned and the epilogues were a bit too long (or unnecessary) for me.
As much as the plot revolves around this friendship and the self-realizations it leads to, Fay and Nell also share an obsession with a younger pair of guys, Theo and Christopher. It’s a little weird lol, writing fanfics about real people but I was very amused by the notes Fay made on their fanfic, especially all of the weeping, seeping, and leaking that still frequently appears in m/m romance in the most confusing manner. Theo’s a complete little shit, by the way, but the author does this thing where she makes the character both annoying, yet interesting enough that you can’t help but wonder (and at times dread) what he might do next and I think this helps the reader understand the pull that Fay in particular feels for this character (beyond the scope of oh jeez, another queer kid!?)
Another element that kept me interested was the mystery. Weaving between past and present, we see the nervous beginnings of this friendship, but in the present we are reminded that this friendship only lasted for about the span of the year. What drove F & N apart? An argument? Time? This is the question I kept finding myself coming back to and it, in combination with the humor and well-developed characters, kept me invested in the plot. When the revelation comes…well it’s all a bit too calm for me, and while I sympathize with Fay, I was very annoyed. From there my interest waned and the epilogues were a bit too long (or unnecessary) for me.
As much as the plot revolves around this friendship and the self-realizations it leads to, Fay and Nell also share an obsession with a younger pair of guys, Theo and Christopher. It’s a little weird lol, writing fanfics about real people but I was very amused by the notes Fay made on their fanfic, especially all of the weeping, seeping, and leaking that still frequently appears in m/m romance in the most confusing manner. Theo’s a complete little shit, by the way, but the author does this thing where she makes the character both annoying, yet interesting enough that you can’t help but wonder (and at times dread) what he might do next and I think this helps the reader understand the pull that Fay in particular feels for this character (beyond the scope of oh jeez, another queer kid!?)
give me more portrayals of overly intense queer adolescent friendship in literature !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
ahhh I love when bonafide theater kids write coming of age novels. So gay so smart so funny!! I love this author’s writing and I understand it all so intimately bc I speak this language. I know these gay teens and their fanfic accounts. I came of age in the 2000s-early 2010s, & in high school in PARTICULAR my best friend and I confused the heck out of everyone in our class w our innate queerness which outwardly conflicted w our attachment at the hip and boy-girl appearance. So this book hammered a very personal nail right on the head here
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
phew. this book reached down my throat and - stay with me - gave my heart a gentle, warning squeeze, and receded. this book is scary because it is at once like looking into a world to which i've never belonged and also the only world i've ever known. fuck!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, War
Minor: Fatphobia, Homophobia
9/11 attacks feature as a focal point of the setting and timeline of the story, not described in intense detail but certainly referenced broadly and at times more intimately