A review by pewter
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I have to admit, the first 75 pages or so of this book felt very "author's first book", snapshots of character building that felt pretty forced. But that said, the writing sharpened up and I was invested by mid book. I would have liked to see more of the supporting cast, but this is very much a character-driven, coming-of-age, true-identity kind of book. It really feels like older queer books and movies, like the classic stuff that we would find for our university's LGBTQIA+ support group - and I mean that endearingly. I think a lot of people can still relate to this, and considering it's also about racism, McCarthyism, and the red scare, it's unfortunately rather relevant today. So yes, would recommend. Not sure if this is necessarily YA, but more of a "New Adult", since it's medium pace and a bit more pensive.