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biheretic's review
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
As a novel, I can understand and appreciate the fact that "Both Sides Now" is helping pave the way for LGBTQ protagonists and offers something of value to young trans people. That said, it wasn't the trans novel for me which largely felt due to the inauthentic portrayal of race. There are by no means an abundance of trans novels in the world, but there are enough innovative trans authors in recent years where I feel as if there isn't a need to settle on any LGBT book gracious enough to throw a handful of characters of color into the supporting cast.
When I say that this is a book that may offer something of value to young trans people, I do mean young white trans people. Yes, there are characters of color within the novel including Jonah, the main love interest, however, the addition of a few throwaway lines of Tagalog and references to food does not equal a well-written and nuanced Filipino character. Jonah falls within the same trap many white queer authors struggle with of fulfilling the role of the obligatory love interest of color. What are his interests outside of his current white boyfriend and future white boyfriend? Who's to say. We know that he's beautiful and smart and charismatic because the love interest of color will always embody these traits, but otherwise we're offered little other than some references to him liking Jughead from Riverdale or the fact that he's a teenager who somehow still owns a Hamilton sweatshirt.
Plots where the main character is in love with someone who is already in a relationship are not rare, but there's something disconcerting with the way it is set up for the two white rivals. Continuing on the theme of not knowing much about Jonah, we hear little of the actual details of his relationship or the flaws that are within it other than the problem of racism.
Jonah's boyfriend, Bailey, is the star of a musical production that has heavy anti-Asian themes within it. Jonah is reluctant to confess to his white boyfriend his discomfort around it so, of course, Finch does it for him. It is deeply uncomfortable to watch Jonah struggle to confess his feelings of embarrassment and shame to Finch in the first place, a topic he was uncomfortable with from the beginning. It's even harder to then watch this be forced into conversation with Bailey just because Finch felt like having an ally moment. Yes, this is called out in the book as overstepping, but there's a disconnect in the way it's done that leaves me with the impression that the author doesn't actually understand why this was a mistake on Finch's part. Finch apologizes for white knighting and speaking over Jonah, but that doesn't address the way Jonah was forced into a situation where he had to choose to either defend his feelings of hurt from the musical, or to disregard that to avoid a fight leaving him with no option other than reassuring and comforting his white boyfriend that he is not racist.
Obviously this is an issue Bailey is responsible for as well, but it's strange to see when the explosive reaction to this was artificially caused by Finch inserting himself into the situation because of his own feelings of jealousy and attraction to Jonah.
Throughout the book we get to witness Jonah struggle with the increasing racial tensions between himself and Bailey. Although the audience can infer that there are probably other issues within their relationship if it means that this single problem can cause a blowup this big, the point of focus is solely on Bailey's privilege and racist biases. That's not a plot I'm opposed to, but it does feel odd to have this character of color flee from racism to the safety of another white boy. It's not an enjoyable experience to consider that Finch only gets the opportunity to potentially date Jonah if their relationship fails due to Jonah facing racism.
Beyond that the choices around race are often just... odd. There's some small moments that leave you questioning why something like this would even be included, such as Finch's friend, Lucy, complaining about her mother's orientalist home decoration and Finch thinking to himself that he likes the decorations and doesn't think it's questionable. Or a truly bizarre scene of a Black student complaining that she is always put into the role of the oppressor during debate club more so than her other mostly white club members and the teacher (who is also Black) explaining that she does this because... evil isn't black and white and did you know Obama caged children? With the idea seeming to be that "good people can be talked into doing evil things" a concept that doesn't make sense and doesn't actually address the issue of a Black girl feeling targeted in her role.
Most egregious of all in a way that is outlandishly bad is just... Nasir. Whatever the hell was going on with Nasir and whatever thought process was present when deciding to create his character. The last thing I want to see in my novel is representation where the sole Iranian-American male character is a caricature-like figure who is idiotic, obsessed with trying to get women, constantly copying AAVE, and somehow also racist? The most blatantly and openly racist character is a person of color?
In the span of a few pages Nasir grants us privilege of watching him:say the n-word for no reason I can tell, spit anti-Asian microaggressions at Jonah hinging on him assuming Asians are a monolith despite... him also being Asian? Oh, and also be racist against the Irish. The white male character faces anti-Irish racism from a character of color which sure is a Choice to make.
Nasir very much comes off like a character who was originally a white dudebro randomly racebent at the last second with a single line of Farsi thrown in to make sure the audience remember that he is not white. Something that in the process actually changes his character into its own racist stereotype of the Brown teen boy nobody likes, obsessed with pulling girls despite girls being disgusted by him, and poorly fitting in with his peers as he tries to hard through misusing slang. He successfully manages to not contribute a single thing to the plot other than allowing Finch to bond with another white character, Ari (who is given time, nuance, and character development unlike her schoolmate Nasir) over how stupid and embarrassing they find Nasir.
I just don't understand why the author would make this choice if I'm being honest.
I truly do believe that the author wrote Finch with a lot of love and care. His journey through gender, friendship, and family felt as if they came from a place that was deeply personal and I'm sure there are other nerdy white trans kids who will look at Finch and feel seen. But as a nerdy nonwhite trans person he just wasn't doing it for me.
Most of the character development felt rushed. The plot often slow where the most exciting part for me was actually the few times we were shown them debating. The debate tournament was by far the most compelling part of the novel which makes it feel odd that for a novel centered on debate there was... pretty much close to none in it.
I will say that I did think the way Finch's sexuality was handled was surprisingly interesting. The focus on his insistence on not being gay felt a bit forced to me, but the reveal in which you learn about his time of being evaluated as whether he was truly trans or not being heavily reliant on the idea that he likes girls and not guys was a really good reveal. I had expected the focus on his sexuality to just be something to add drama, but was impressed by how it was handled. Although it did make it even weirder how much Lucy kept insisting that Finch was gay throughout the novel... So, there were some positives!
I wish I could have found it funny, but there was only really two types of jokes throughout the entire novel: 1. Referencing some political event/person/concept to show how smart and well-informed the characters are (smart well-informed baby leftists who love history and yet somehow did not know that about the horrifying conditions under Obama's immigration policy) and 2. Some joke from tumblr. Doesn't matter which one. Gamer girl bathwater here, a John Mulaney quote there, maybe if things get spicy a whole meme will even appear!Nasir, deer sweet Nasir, did actually make me laugh at the quote "On God, we gonna get you laid tonight!" A laugh that felt wholly undeserved considering it's kinda just... a popular meme
As far as trans representation goes, there's little to complain about. Sure, it feels a bit weird to not really have it brought up in any serious discussion the depths of privilege Finch experiences by having early access to transition care and how this is barred to most trans people especially poor trans people of color. But it was, like, fine? I'm sure there is some white transmasc teen who sleeps with an "I'm With Her" pin under their pillow right next to their commemorative antifa membership brick who will fall head over heels for Finch and all that he has to offer, but he just didn't do it for me.
Overall, it was an unremarkable novel that felt perfectly tailored to appeal to an audience who in theory wants to read representation and anti-racist narratives, but only the kinds that are easily digestible within the scope of their own white normative worldview.
When I say that this is a book that may offer something of value to young trans people, I do mean young white trans people. Yes, there are characters of color within the novel including Jonah, the main love interest, however, the addition of a few throwaway lines of Tagalog and references to food does not equal a well-written and nuanced Filipino character. Jonah falls within the same trap many white queer authors struggle with of fulfilling the role of the obligatory love interest of color. What are his interests outside of his current white boyfriend and future white boyfriend? Who's to say. We know that he's beautiful and smart and charismatic because the love interest of color will always embody these traits, but otherwise we're offered little other than some references to him liking Jughead from Riverdale or the fact that he's a teenager who somehow still owns a Hamilton sweatshirt.
Plots where the main character is in love with someone who is already in a relationship are not rare, but there's something disconcerting with the way it is set up for the two white rivals. Continuing on the theme of not knowing much about Jonah, we hear little of the actual details of his relationship or the flaws that are within it other than the problem of racism.
Obviously this is an issue Bailey is responsible for as well, but it's strange to see when the explosive reaction to this was artificially caused by Finch inserting himself into the situation because of his own feelings of jealousy and attraction to Jonah.
Throughout the book we get to witness Jonah struggle with the increasing racial tensions between himself and Bailey. Although the audience can infer that there are probably other issues within their relationship if it means that this single problem can cause a blowup this big, the point of focus is solely on Bailey's privilege and racist biases. That's not a plot I'm opposed to, but it does feel odd to have this character of color flee from racism to the safety of another white boy. It's not an enjoyable experience to consider that Finch only gets the opportunity to potentially date Jonah if their relationship fails due to Jonah facing racism.
Beyond that the choices around race are often just... odd. There's some small moments that leave you questioning why something like this would even be included, such as Finch's friend, Lucy, complaining about her mother's orientalist home decoration and Finch thinking to himself that he likes the decorations and doesn't think it's questionable. Or a truly bizarre scene of a Black student complaining that she is always put into the role of the oppressor during debate club more so than her other mostly white club members and the teacher (who is also Black) explaining that she does this because... evil isn't black and white and did you know Obama caged children? With the idea seeming to be that "good people can be talked into doing evil things" a concept that doesn't make sense and doesn't actually address the issue of a Black girl feeling targeted in her role.
Most egregious of all in a way that is outlandishly bad is just... Nasir. Whatever the hell was going on with Nasir and whatever thought process was present when deciding to create his character. The last thing I want to see in my novel is representation where the sole Iranian-American male character is a caricature-like figure who is idiotic, obsessed with trying to get women, constantly copying AAVE, and somehow also racist? The most blatantly and openly racist character is a person of color?
In the span of a few pages Nasir grants us privilege of watching him:
Nasir very much comes off like a character who was originally a white dudebro randomly racebent at the last second with a single line of Farsi thrown in to make sure the audience remember that he is not white. Something that in the process actually changes his character into its own racist stereotype of the Brown teen boy nobody likes, obsessed with pulling girls despite girls being disgusted by him, and poorly fitting in with his peers as he tries to hard through misusing slang. He successfully manages to not contribute a single thing to the plot other than allowing Finch to bond with another white character, Ari (who is given time, nuance, and character development unlike her schoolmate Nasir) over how stupid and embarrassing they find Nasir.
I just don't understand why the author would make this choice if I'm being honest.
I truly do believe that the author wrote Finch with a lot of love and care. His journey through gender, friendship, and family felt as if they came from a place that was deeply personal and I'm sure there are other nerdy white trans kids who will look at Finch and feel seen. But as a nerdy nonwhite trans person he just wasn't doing it for me.
Most of the character development felt rushed. The plot often slow where the most exciting part for me was actually the few times we were shown them debating. The debate tournament was by far the most compelling part of the novel which makes it feel odd that for a novel centered on debate there was... pretty much close to none in it.
I will say that I did think the way Finch's sexuality was handled was surprisingly interesting. The focus on his insistence on not being gay felt a bit forced to me, but the reveal in which
I wish I could have found it funny, but there was only really two types of jokes throughout the entire novel: 1. Referencing some political event/person/concept to show how smart and well-informed the characters are (smart well-informed baby leftists who love history and yet somehow did not know that about the horrifying conditions under Obama's immigration policy) and 2. Some joke from tumblr. Doesn't matter which one. Gamer girl bathwater here, a John Mulaney quote there, maybe if things get spicy a whole meme will even appear!
As far as trans representation goes, there's little to complain about. Sure, it feels a bit weird to not really have it brought up in any serious discussion the depths of privilege Finch experiences by having early access to transition care and how this is barred to most trans people especially poor trans people of color. But it was, like, fine? I'm sure there is some white transmasc teen who sleeps with an "I'm With Her" pin under their pillow right next to their commemorative antifa membership brick who will fall head over heels for Finch and all that he has to offer, but he just didn't do it for me.
Overall, it was an unremarkable novel that felt perfectly tailored to appeal to an audience who in theory wants to read representation and anti-racist narratives, but only the kinds that are easily digestible within the scope of their own white normative worldview.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Transphobia
Minor: Misogyny
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