Take a photo of a barcode or cover
kellyhager 's review for:
What We Left Behind
by Robin Talley
I can't even explain how much I love this story.
The first and most obvious reason is that it's amazing. I love Gretchen and Toni, and I love the fact that there is no real villain in this story. These are two people who love each other and who don't mean to hurt each other. This isn't deliberate cruelty on either's part.
I probably especially love Toni because she reminds me of the woman I had a crush on in college. (Oh, you guys, she was wonderful. She was smart and cute and political and unapologetically feminist and we could've been together forever if she had just liked me back.) And I was also not unlike Toni in college, because that's when I was coming out too, and I didn't yet get how to be gay without having that be the most defining aspect of my personality. So yes, Toni was a little bit annoying but annoying in the way where you're like, "Yeah, I did that" and cringing. (Hello, young Kelly. I have missed you.)
But you know what this book is? It's a lesbian Forever (the Judy Blume one, although I hope I don't have to clarify). And that's kind of a spoiler, although honestly, we don't know what happens with Gretchen and Toni.
And that's okay.
I am completely obsessed with this book and it confirmed what I was pretty sure was going to be true from Lies We Tell Ourselves: I am going to read everything Robin Talley puts out. Everything, always. (And the next book is a YA retelling of Macbeth!)
Highly, highly recommended.
The first and most obvious reason is that it's amazing. I love Gretchen and Toni, and I love the fact that there is no real villain in this story. These are two people who love each other and who don't mean to hurt each other. This isn't deliberate cruelty on either's part.
I probably especially love Toni because she reminds me of the woman I had a crush on in college. (Oh, you guys, she was wonderful. She was smart and cute and political and unapologetically feminist and we could've been together forever if she had just liked me back.) And I was also not unlike Toni in college, because that's when I was coming out too, and I didn't yet get how to be gay without having that be the most defining aspect of my personality. So yes, Toni was a little bit annoying but annoying in the way where you're like, "Yeah, I did that" and cringing. (Hello, young Kelly. I have missed you.)
But you know what this book is? It's a lesbian Forever (the Judy Blume one, although I hope I don't have to clarify). And that's kind of a spoiler, although honestly, we don't know what happens with Gretchen and Toni.
And that's okay.
I am completely obsessed with this book and it confirmed what I was pretty sure was going to be true from Lies We Tell Ourselves: I am going to read everything Robin Talley puts out. Everything, always. (And the next book is a YA retelling of Macbeth!)
Highly, highly recommended.