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canarqen_defon 's review for:
Not Otherwise Specified
by Hannah Moskowitz
I really wanted to like this book. There aren't many YA novels that deal with bisexuality or the misunderstanding of bisexuality in both the gay and straight communities. But there were too many fact and stylistic faults to make this book a success.
First the fact issues: Nebraska in January is cold and most often snowy. Hanging out in cornfields, barefoot, is just not realistic. Then, I don't believe evangelical Christians (at least, that's what was implied in the novel) would have alcohol in their house; and even if they did, it certainly wouldn't be freely accessible to a 14 year old. Also, to have a "reasonable" 17-year-old ask another 17-yo if she's slept with a 14-yo "yet" seems absolutely implausible to me -- sex is sex, heterosexual or not. Lastly, the school (or at least some of the faculty) have a sense that there is bullying going on, but other than one general assembly mentioned in passing, I find it curious that nobody takes this more seriously. This book needed a much stronger hand from the Editing Department; too bad the publisher didn't take its job more seriously here.
Stylistically, throughout the novel we are told rather than shown. Other than bowing their heads once at a meal, how do we know that Bianca and James are from a strict Christian family? Etta tells us that Bianca is working through the conflicting opinions of her church and her heart when it comes to her brother, but we don't see it. Race seems to be a fill in the blank for the characters: Etta is black -- but other than having dreads, would we know this? How about the fact that Rachel is Asian? Mentioned once, then dropped -- not even subsequent descriptions of Rachel have her seem like anything other than another rich white girl.
Lastly, I would like to note that although early on Etta tells us that a frustrating aspect of being bisexual is that everybody thinks you have lots of sex with lots of people, what the book shows us is a young person who has: lots of sex with lots of people. And who uses young men to fill a temporary need, but who has no problems ignoring these young men when she no longer needs them.
I applaud the author for thinking about incorporating bisexuality in a YA novel. But I'm still waiting for a good novel about this issue.
First the fact issues: Nebraska in January is cold and most often snowy. Hanging out in cornfields, barefoot, is just not realistic. Then, I don't believe evangelical Christians (at least, that's what was implied in the novel) would have alcohol in their house; and even if they did, it certainly wouldn't be freely accessible to a 14 year old. Also, to have a "reasonable" 17-year-old ask another 17-yo if she's slept with a 14-yo "yet" seems absolutely implausible to me -- sex is sex, heterosexual or not. Lastly, the school (or at least some of the faculty) have a sense that there is bullying going on, but other than one general assembly mentioned in passing, I find it curious that nobody takes this more seriously. This book needed a much stronger hand from the Editing Department; too bad the publisher didn't take its job more seriously here.
Stylistically, throughout the novel we are told rather than shown. Other than bowing their heads once at a meal, how do we know that Bianca and James are from a strict Christian family? Etta tells us that Bianca is working through the conflicting opinions of her church and her heart when it comes to her brother, but we don't see it. Race seems to be a fill in the blank for the characters: Etta is black -- but other than having dreads, would we know this? How about the fact that Rachel is Asian? Mentioned once, then dropped -- not even subsequent descriptions of Rachel have her seem like anything other than another rich white girl.
Lastly, I would like to note that although early on Etta tells us that a frustrating aspect of being bisexual is that everybody thinks you have lots of sex with lots of people, what the book shows us is a young person who has: lots of sex with lots of people. And who uses young men to fill a temporary need, but who has no problems ignoring these young men when she no longer needs them.
I applaud the author for thinking about incorporating bisexuality in a YA novel. But I'm still waiting for a good novel about this issue.