A review by lue_moon
The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester by Maya MacGregor

dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I loved so many things about this book, starting with its stunning cover art. Overall the mystery aspect was fairly engaging, but this book rates high for me mostly because of the other elements. It's just as much about found family and healing from trauma, as it is about the mystery in it.

The queer, nonbinary, and autistic rep was excellent and very relatable, especially the later. It's maybe the first book I've read where a character is explicitly Autistic and getting to read so many little details that I was able to relate to was something I don't know I ever expected to get a novel. The description of overstimulation, stimming (both happy stims and self-aggressive ones), what it's like when words become difficult, the experience of not knowing how to human....An author with lived experience makes a world of difference. 

To also read a parent who wholeheartedly embraces his kid in all aspects of their identity, who actually takes the time and care to truly understand his kid, made me want to cry. Not nearly enough queer kids, let alone queer autistic kids, get to have that.

And the friendship between Sam and their friends is so freaking heartwarming. Found family like that in a book reminds me just how important my own found family is, and also makes me wish I would have been able to have friendships like that sooner.

This is why I will never understand how people think family is as common as blood. To me, family is breath; it's trusting the person beside you to demand your right to air in a world that would take it from you. It's the vulnerability of feeling someone's chest move in a careful rhythm to give you your own back.
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