Jacque's Review:
I have read several of Levithan's collaborations (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and Invisibility) and really enjoyed them, so I decided it was time to read one of his solo books.
Boy Meets Boy tells the story of a high school boy named Paul who has known and embraced the fact that he is gay since kindergarten. While I have lived in a very accepting area near Columbus, Ohio for sixteen years, which received a brief mention in this book, I don't think I have ever experienced a town or school like Paul's. For example...the starting quarterback is a drag queen as well as the homecoming queen. It seemed like most of the town was openly LGBT, or perhaps that is just the side of things that is presented from Paul's point-of-view. Everyone seemed so supportive and accepting until we meet Tony's parents. Tony is Paul's long time friend, but he is a sharp contrast to Paul. His parents are very religious and believe Paul is the devil's influence on their son. It was great to see how Tony slowly asserted his independence and stood up to his parents.
The remainder of the story is a love story. Paul first meets Noah at a book store and quickly discovers he is a new student at his school. It takes a few days for Paul to reconnect with Noah, but their relationship soon escalates until Paul manages to botch everything up. Now he has to figure out how he can earn back Noah's trust.
I honestly didn't realize this book was written in 2003. I added it to my TBR list in March 2014, so I guess I was assuming it was written shortly before then. If that were the case, I don't think this story would have been such a far reaching piece of fiction. With the legalization of gay marriage and other recent events, I don't think Boy Meets Boy is that far from today's reality.
Overall, this was a short and very entertaining story that kept me engaged from start to finish. It was a very eye opening read that I will not soon forget.
I have read several of Levithan's collaborations (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and Invisibility) and really enjoyed them, so I decided it was time to read one of his solo books.
Boy Meets Boy tells the story of a high school boy named Paul who has known and embraced the fact that he is gay since kindergarten. While I have lived in a very accepting area near Columbus, Ohio for sixteen years, which received a brief mention in this book, I don't think I have ever experienced a town or school like Paul's. For example...the starting quarterback is a drag queen as well as the homecoming queen. It seemed like most of the town was openly LGBT, or perhaps that is just the side of things that is presented from Paul's point-of-view. Everyone seemed so supportive and accepting until we meet Tony's parents. Tony is Paul's long time friend, but he is a sharp contrast to Paul. His parents are very religious and believe Paul is the devil's influence on their son. It was great to see how Tony slowly asserted his independence and stood up to his parents.
The remainder of the story is a love story. Paul first meets Noah at a book store and quickly discovers he is a new student at his school. It takes a few days for Paul to reconnect with Noah, but their relationship soon escalates until Paul manages to botch everything up. Now he has to figure out how he can earn back Noah's trust.
I honestly didn't realize this book was written in 2003. I added it to my TBR list in March 2014, so I guess I was assuming it was written shortly before then. If that were the case, I don't think this story would have been such a far reaching piece of fiction. With the legalization of gay marriage and other recent events, I don't think Boy Meets Boy is that far from today's reality.
Overall, this was a short and very entertaining story that kept me engaged from start to finish. It was a very eye opening read that I will not soon forget.
No comments :
Post a Comment