When compared to Levithan's earlier works - this piece is considerably better! I found myself enthralled by the concepts behind the stories told within 'Two Boys Kissing' as the tale told the stories of multiple same sex couples! I found that the inclusive nature of the piece was brilliant!
I found that the way that Levithan decided to tell this story was really clever - with the central narrative voice deriving from the collective consciousness of deceased members of the LGBT+ community known as the Chorus. The story is told from an omniscient perspective with reactions from the Chorus from time to time. This therefore allows it to occasionally read as if it were written in third person. It was a very unique style.
I found this to be a stand out work within Young Adult
fiction, considering the actual owner of the narrative voice and how it is
executed, references to the AIDS outbreak and suicide jotted throughout. It informs young people of not only LGBT history but the realities for these people. It educates without making the story sombre and all about homophobia.Not only that - but this story provides insight about what makes a person gay, you have a trans male in this story and he is not treated any differently than any of the cisgender characters, and you have interracial homosexual couples within this piece.
Representation is so valuable in the media and this novel requires more recognition for doing something right for this form of representation! This book made me even prouder to be a fan of David Levithan!
I really enjoyed reading this novel as it stretched past conventions and depicted a completely fresh version of events etc. with LGBT characters and how they are, in reality, no different from other people; they have lives, families, cultures and histories. This is always really important to remember in writing these characters! Nobody is "just gay", after all!
This story is one that I cannot deny has inspired me to continue to push forward positive representations of LGBT people and I hope it will do the same for you!
Thank you so much for reading!
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra!
- Imogen. L. Smiley
Representation is so valuable in the media and this novel requires more recognition for doing something right for this form of representation! This book made me even prouder to be a fan of David Levithan!
I really enjoyed reading this novel as it stretched past conventions and depicted a completely fresh version of events etc. with LGBT characters and how they are, in reality, no different from other people; they have lives, families, cultures and histories. This is always really important to remember in writing these characters! Nobody is "just gay", after all!
This story is one that I cannot deny has inspired me to continue to push forward positive representations of LGBT people and I hope it will do the same for you!
Thank you so much for reading!
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra!
- Imogen. L. Smiley
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