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A review by lbarsk
Can't Take That Away by Steven Salvatore
So, as per the usual, I read this in two batches - the beginning 10% or so one night, and then the rest all in one big go between April 15 and 16. And let me say that I just... don't... know how to handle this book.
For the first time ever I'm not rating it at present because it's just so OVER-THE-TOP filled with multiple kinds of queer trauma and transphobic/homophobic violence that at points I was like, OH WAIT NOW *THIS* IS HAPPENING? I understand that Salvatore drew a lot on their own experience as a genderqueer person growing up and I completely appreciate someone writing through their traumas as a way to cope with them and also show empathy/compassion/sympathy with others who have experienced similar things.
BUT WOOF? It was like, okay Jesus Chreezus, for every good thing that happens there's four-to-five bad things. And yes, there is a happy ending, but by that point I was emotionally exhausted from the ups and downs of the book.
Another thing that had me kind of scratching my head were the racial politics here; it seemed like Salvatore was doing his best to be as sensitive and thoughtful but the Black secondary character (who I did enjoy, a queen honestly) did seem to be lowkey a Magical Black Girl Lesbian BFF for Carey, and then Cris' Filipino heritage isn't touched on all that much despite him saying that it majorly informs who he is as a person. So I think some sensitivity reading may have helped there?
What's hard is, look, on the one hand, you love to see genderqueer characters existing on the page. You simply love to! At a time when nonbinary and genderqueer experiences are kind of being mainstreamed into "The Official Third Gender Option," having a wealth of depictions in YA of how kids and teens can be nonbinary and genderqueer in all kinds of ways is GREAT. More of that, please! But on the other hand I just feel like if I had read this book as a teen I would've been like, wow, holy shit, this is traumatic and I'm stressed. BECAUSE I FELT THAT WAY AS AN ADULT! Like genuinely so much so that at one point I was like "now hold up is Ryan Murphy writing this book." And obviously he isn't, obviously it's by someone under the trans umbrella, but still.
I'd love to hear what my queer and trans friends think if/when they read this, because maybe that could help me better articulate my own thoughts? It's like... look, I get that not every LGBTQ+ story needs to be sunshine and rainbows, since life doesn't work like that, and ALSO every LGBTQ+ story shouldn't just be the depression trauma sadness zone, since life doesn't work like that either. This book does seem to try to be having that conversation! It just, FOR ME, listed so heavily to the side of "yikes a lot of painful events happening quickly" and it was hard to get past that.
For the first time ever I'm not rating it at present because it's just so OVER-THE-TOP filled with multiple kinds of queer trauma and transphobic/homophobic violence that at points I was like, OH WAIT NOW *THIS* IS HAPPENING? I understand that Salvatore drew a lot on their own experience as a genderqueer person growing up and I completely appreciate someone writing through their traumas as a way to cope with them and also show empathy/compassion/sympathy with others who have experienced similar things.
BUT WOOF? It was like, okay Jesus Chreezus, for every good thing that happens there's four-to-five bad things. And yes, there is a happy ending, but by that point I was emotionally exhausted from the ups and downs of the book.
Another thing that had me kind of scratching my head were the racial politics here; it seemed like Salvatore was doing his best to be as sensitive and thoughtful but the Black secondary character (who I did enjoy, a queen honestly) did seem to be lowkey a Magical Black Girl Lesbian BFF for Carey, and then Cris' Filipino heritage isn't touched on all that much despite him saying that it majorly informs who he is as a person. So I think some sensitivity reading may have helped there?
What's hard is, look, on the one hand, you love to see genderqueer characters existing on the page. You simply love to! At a time when nonbinary and genderqueer experiences are kind of being mainstreamed into "The Official Third Gender Option," having a wealth of depictions in YA of how kids and teens can be nonbinary and genderqueer in all kinds of ways is GREAT. More of that, please! But on the other hand I just feel like if I had read this book as a teen I would've been like, wow, holy shit, this is traumatic and I'm stressed. BECAUSE I FELT THAT WAY AS AN ADULT! Like genuinely so much so that at one point I was like "now hold up is Ryan Murphy writing this book." And obviously he isn't, obviously it's by someone under the trans umbrella, but still.
I'd love to hear what my queer and trans friends think if/when they read this, because maybe that could help me better articulate my own thoughts? It's like... look, I get that not every LGBTQ+ story needs to be sunshine and rainbows, since life doesn't work like that, and ALSO every LGBTQ+ story shouldn't just be the depression trauma sadness zone, since life doesn't work like that either. This book does seem to try to be having that conversation! It just, FOR ME, listed so heavily to the side of "yikes a lot of painful events happening quickly" and it was hard to get past that.