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A review by fallingletters
Different Kinds of Fruit by Kyle Lukoff
4.0
Review originally published 6 November 2022 at Falling Letters.
Different Kinds of Fruit explores generational differences among queer folks – in particular, two distinct experiences of being trans. The book’s a little more didactic than I something I would usually enjoy. But I think it’s an incredibly valuable story, especially as a mirror book, for kids who might find themselves in Annabelle or Bailey.
Two key characters – Annabelle’s new friend Bailey, who is nonbinary, and Annabelle’s father, who is trans – may be considered truly fictional characters, IE not realistic. I agree with that sentiment, but I also don’t take much issue with it. While Bailey plays a key role in the story as a sort of model, middle class, white queer kid, educating Annabelle, they do have a fully realized personality and experiences of their own. (I do take issue with anyone saying Bailey is too perfect – no spoilers, but Bailey makes mistakes, too.) I’m okay with this instance of a character in a middle grade fiction novel serving as an aspirational role model, for the most part.
As for Anabelle’s dad, he experiences some rapid character growth that does seem unlikely given his personal history. But again – this is middle grade fiction and his growth gives the story a hopeful arc and I might even argue that kids read and appreciate this book are also smart enough to recognize that for themselves.
Let’s talk about Annabelle’s dad some more. I’ve always said I love adult characters in middle grade… Annabelle’s dad has to be the most complex parent figure I’ve read about! He has a lot of queer trauma from his past, as Annabelle comes to learn over the course of the novel. His experience and Bailey’s experiences are in many ways radically different.
It’s Annabelle’s dad who makes this story a pretty intense read. I had not at all guessed he would be antagonistic. The story has way more tension than I anticipated, dealing with some big, nuanced concepts that haven’t been spotlighted in middle grade yet. There were moments reading this book where I felt my stomach do back flips. Annabelle and her dad’s relationship goes through a lot of painful growth.
Annabelle and Bailey go to an alternative school, where one entitled kid, Dixon, is super concerned with the idea of ‘fairness’. Fairness, in the way that makes him ask, “So, if I wanted to invite a group of straight people to talk about being heterosexual […] that would be okay too, right?”? I wondered how many Dixon-type kids you’d find if the story was set at a public school… but even Dixon goes through his own wee bit of development. It was actually a little heartbreaking as we see more of Dixon’s parents and realize where he gets his ideas from, and a little encouraging how we see Dixon’s POV change over the story. He wants fairness for everyone, and eventually learns that equality is different from equity.
The last little thing I want to note is I thought Annabelle’s crushes were kind of adorable and super realistic for this age.
Different Kinds of Fruit explores generational differences among queer folks – in particular, two distinct experiences of being trans. The book’s a little more didactic than I something I would usually enjoy. But I think it’s an incredibly valuable story, especially as a mirror book, for kids who might find themselves in Annabelle or Bailey.
Two key characters – Annabelle’s new friend Bailey, who is nonbinary, and Annabelle’s father, who is trans – may be considered truly fictional characters, IE not realistic. I agree with that sentiment, but I also don’t take much issue with it. While Bailey plays a key role in the story as a sort of model, middle class, white queer kid, educating Annabelle, they do have a fully realized personality and experiences of their own. (I do take issue with anyone saying Bailey is too perfect – no spoilers, but Bailey makes mistakes, too.) I’m okay with this instance of a character in a middle grade fiction novel serving as an aspirational role model, for the most part.
As for Anabelle’s dad, he experiences some rapid character growth that does seem unlikely given his personal history. But again – this is middle grade fiction and his growth gives the story a hopeful arc and I might even argue that kids read and appreciate this book are also smart enough to recognize that for themselves.
Let’s talk about Annabelle’s dad some more. I’ve always said I love adult characters in middle grade… Annabelle’s dad has to be the most complex parent figure I’ve read about! He has a lot of queer trauma from his past, as Annabelle comes to learn over the course of the novel. His experience and Bailey’s experiences are in many ways radically different.
It’s Annabelle’s dad who makes this story a pretty intense read. I had not at all guessed he would be antagonistic. The story has way more tension than I anticipated, dealing with some big, nuanced concepts that haven’t been spotlighted in middle grade yet. There were moments reading this book where I felt my stomach do back flips. Annabelle and her dad’s relationship goes through a lot of painful growth.
Annabelle and Bailey go to an alternative school, where one entitled kid, Dixon, is super concerned with the idea of ‘fairness’. Fairness, in the way that makes him ask, “So, if I wanted to invite a group of straight people to talk about being heterosexual […] that would be okay too, right?”? I wondered how many Dixon-type kids you’d find if the story was set at a public school… but even Dixon goes through his own wee bit of development. It was actually a little heartbreaking as we see more of Dixon’s parents and realize where he gets his ideas from, and a little encouraging how we see Dixon’s POV change over the story. He wants fairness for everyone, and eventually learns that equality is different from equity.
The last little thing I want to note is I thought Annabelle’s crushes were kind of adorable and super realistic for this age.