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A review by vickycbooks
Sasha Masha by Agnes Borinsky
Sasha Masha is a slice-of-life story about Sasha Masha who is trying to find words, context, an idea of who Sasha Masha is. It's not a coming-out story, but more of a figuring-yourself-out story. Fans of the coming-of-age atmosphere and slice-of-life vibes of Darius the Great Is Not Okay will definitely enjoy. (I know I did.)
Content Warnings:
Sasha Masha has to navigate a best friend just moving away, complicated parental relationships, a new girlfriend, and this feeling that creeps up sometimes. A feeling of discontent, of something not quite fitting. Sasha Masha finds it difficult to characterize, because how can you describe something you yourself barely even know what it is? How can you ask questions or ask for support, when you don't have the words to conceptualize it?
I absolutely loved how relatable this story was. The voice was fantastic and there were so many quotable lines that teen readers will really relate to. I really loved when we Sasha Masha contemplates what makes you a "real" person, or if there truly is a line between "real" people and not "real" people. I was also a big fan of the complicated family relationship Sasha Masha has, where everything is picture perfect, but Sasha Masha still feels like something's not quite right, that Sasha Masha thinks about running away sometimes.
It's contemplative and you can't help but want what's best for Sasha Masha. And we get to see moments of joy--Sasha Masha finding a whole new big queer community, Sasha Masha feeling accepted, Sasha Masha being happy that something fits. But there are moments of hurt and transphobia (and generally a lot of deadnaming, because this is a figuring-stuff-out kind of story), so please make sure you're in the right headspace to read!
I think Borinsky did a really great job of fitting so much in such a short story. I absolutely loved her audio narration of it (her voice is very calming!) and it really brought Sasha Masha to life.
Sasha Masha may be short, but it packs a big punch. I really enjoyed listening and I'd definitely recommend to readers looking for a quick, emotive figuring-yourself-out story!
Also, here's some links to some reviews by trans readers, because you really should be reading reviews by trans readers and not me! (Will update with more when I find them.)
- Here's a review by Grayson, who is also on Instagram @reading_with_pride!
Thank you to Libro.fm for the audiobook copy as part of the influencer program! Listened on 1.6x speed.
Finally, a quick note. I chose to avoid pronouns for Sasha Masha in this review, contrary to most reviews using he/him. I am not trying to be intentionally coy about this, but I don't think it's right for me as a reader to pick pronouns for Sasha Masha, nor do I get the impression that Sasha Masha is entirely comfortable with he/him pronouns either.
Content Warnings:
Spoiler
deadnaming (the story covers the time when Sasha Masha is questioning, so it's used a lot), transphobia (challenged), homophobic slurs (said by queer characters in a reclamation-way)Sasha Masha has to navigate a best friend just moving away, complicated parental relationships, a new girlfriend, and this feeling that creeps up sometimes. A feeling of discontent, of something not quite fitting. Sasha Masha finds it difficult to characterize, because how can you describe something you yourself barely even know what it is? How can you ask questions or ask for support, when you don't have the words to conceptualize it?
I absolutely loved how relatable this story was. The voice was fantastic and there were so many quotable lines that teen readers will really relate to. I really loved when we Sasha Masha contemplates what makes you a "real" person, or if there truly is a line between "real" people and not "real" people. I was also a big fan of the complicated family relationship Sasha Masha has, where everything is picture perfect, but Sasha Masha still feels like something's not quite right, that Sasha Masha thinks about running away sometimes.
"Maybe my life was just wasn't mine. Maybe it belonged to them [my parents]. It felt like my life would never actually be mine. My parents would keep tracking it and thinking about it and telling me what it was all about it until I got old and they got even older and one of us died."
It's contemplative and you can't help but want what's best for Sasha Masha. And we get to see moments of joy--Sasha Masha finding a whole new big queer community, Sasha Masha feeling accepted, Sasha Masha being happy that something fits. But there are moments of hurt and transphobia (and generally a lot of deadnaming, because this is a figuring-stuff-out kind of story), so please make sure you're in the right headspace to read!
I think Borinsky did a really great job of fitting so much in such a short story. I absolutely loved her audio narration of it (her voice is very calming!) and it really brought Sasha Masha to life.
Sasha Masha may be short, but it packs a big punch. I really enjoyed listening and I'd definitely recommend to readers looking for a quick, emotive figuring-yourself-out story!
Also, here's some links to some reviews by trans readers, because you really should be reading reviews by trans readers and not me! (Will update with more when I find them.)
- Here's a review by Grayson, who is also on Instagram @reading_with_pride!
Thank you to Libro.fm for the audiobook copy as part of the influencer program! Listened on 1.6x speed.
Finally, a quick note. I chose to avoid pronouns for Sasha Masha in this review, contrary to most reviews using he/him. I am not trying to be intentionally coy about this, but I don't think it's right for me as a reader to pick pronouns for Sasha Masha, nor do I get the impression that Sasha Masha is entirely comfortable with he/him pronouns either.