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A review by kaywhiteley
The Minus-One Club by Kekla Magoon
5.0
CW: sibling loss, grief, mention of car accidents and drunk driving, rape culture, homophobia, bullying, alcohol abuse, sexual assault, suicide attempt, suicidal thoughts, religious trauma, depression, hospitalization
One thing about me is that I love reading books that hurt me. As a queer former Christian whose brother died when they were young, this is the type of book I wish I had when I was a young adult. The descriptions of grief, especially while still living with your parents and going to school with kids who do not understand what it's like to lose a sibling, were incredibly accurate and made me feel somewhat comforted in my experiences. Grief feels so lonely, especially when you lose a sibling, and this book made me feel much less alone and I wish I had it in those times when I felt most lonely.
I also appreciated that the book gave hope without being unrealistic. He found a group of friends to support and love him, but they're teenagers and sometimes they don't know how to support each other. He's queer and found people who accept him, but his parents didn't have a sudden, miraculous change of heart. Everything isn't perfect and I think that type of messy ending is representative of life.
Maybe I liked this book so much because of how much I related or how much my younger self needed representation like this, but I cannot overstate how much this book meant to me.
One thing about me is that I love reading books that hurt me. As a queer former Christian whose brother died when they were young, this is the type of book I wish I had when I was a young adult. The descriptions of grief, especially while still living with your parents and going to school with kids who do not understand what it's like to lose a sibling, were incredibly accurate and made me feel somewhat comforted in my experiences. Grief feels so lonely, especially when you lose a sibling, and this book made me feel much less alone and I wish I had it in those times when I felt most lonely.
I also appreciated that the book gave hope without being unrealistic. He found a group of friends to support and love him, but they're teenagers and sometimes they don't know how to support each other. He's queer and found people who accept him, but his parents didn't have a sudden, miraculous change of heart. Everything isn't perfect and I think that type of messy ending is representative of life.
Maybe I liked this book so much because of how much I related or how much my younger self needed representation like this, but I cannot overstate how much this book meant to me.