Representing the Rainbow in Young Adult Literature by Christine A. Jenkins

Author:Christine A. Jenkins
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: undefined
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 2012-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Whether he is gay or not (and it becomes increasingly obvious to readers that he is [“I suppose I am gay,” Simon finally admits to himself] [515]), Simon and Baz begin a relationship (“I want to be your boyfriend,” Simon tells Baz [390])—a relationship that is at once tender and stormy and, for the reader, deeply satisfying. It is also secret until, at the book’s end, at a school party, the two come out, as they dance together and Simon kisses Baz.

There is, of course, more going on while all this is happening The Humdrum is still busily gobbling up magick; the revolutionary Mage is carrying on an unofficial war against the established families like Baz’s; Simon encounters the Humdrum in a wonderfully dramatic set-to, and more. But what underlies and survives all of this is the boys’ love for each other. And so Carry On is not only an epic fantasy, it is also a beautifully realized romance.

But enough of fantasy, back to realistic fiction now and a more sober view of coming out in Jenny Downham’s British import Unbecoming. Katie hates the claustrophobia of her small hometown, “a place where once rumors began, they easily spread” (8). At the root of this feeling is the fact that Katie has, unbidden, kissed her best friend Esme, been betrayed by her, and made a social pariah. “They think I’m a freak,” she says ruefully of Esme’s gaggle of girlfriends (61). This is bad enough, but to make matters worse, her elderly grandmother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, has come to live with her, her mother, and her brother after an absence of many years. Once this fact is established, the main narrative then moves back and forward in time to portray the grandmother’s childhood and early adulthood. As for Katie’s secretive present life (her mother doesn’t know about Esme), she feels that if it is to improve, she has to get her best friend back. But how? Encountering Esme at a party as she had hoped, Katie tries to engage her in conversation. “I miss you,” Katie says. “I thought we were friends.” “My friends don’t jump me,” Esme replies coldly. “I didn’t. You know I didn’t. Why are you telling everyone that?” When Esme doesn’t respond, Katie continues: “I miss us. There’s so much you don’t know” (121). Esme’s response is to say that Katie has been observed hanging out at a café where a girl named Simona, an out lesbian, works. Katie tries to explain she goes there because her grandmother, Mary, likes the place. “See, this just sounds like lies,” Esme retorts. “So, I’m guessing you’ve decided that’s what you are now. Someone like Simona Williams, I mean” (122). “What? No,” Katie insists. But Esme refuses to believe her, and the conversation ends badly. Several days later Simona invites Katie for coffee. A shocked Katie says no and, panicked, runs for her life but soon finds herself questioning who she is. And finds herself actually talking with Simona about her uncertainties and finally saying, “Teach me.

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