I was super excited for this one and it lived up to expectations completely.
Dual protagonists can be a difficult thing to juggle, and since this author hasn't published any novels before I had no real frame of reference for their skill level beyond what I saw in the first look. But this book does an excellent job of handling that challenge and making the two different-but-related narratives work really well.
The fact that the protagonists differ so much and face different issues without making the book feel disjointed is a testament to how well this was written.
With any book that tries to directly tackle social issues, there's a risk of coming across as a bit preachy or on-the-nose about it, which can put a lot of readers off (and make me seem like a Deeply Uncool Librarian to my teenage patrons for recommending said books). This book--especially the 1990s sections--presents things in much more of a relatable, "can you believe what this guy has to put up with" way than the dreaded Very Special Episode PSA vibe that can be very hard to avoid.
Not to box them in so early but I do really hope this author continues to do YA historical fiction in the future because this was really a shining example of that genre.
Dual protagonists can be a difficult thing to juggle, and since this author hasn't published any novels before I had no real frame of reference for their skill level beyond what I saw in the first look. But this book does an excellent job of handling that challenge and making the two different-but-related narratives work really well.
The fact that the protagonists differ so much and face different issues without making the book feel disjointed is a testament to how well this was written.
With any book that tries to directly tackle social issues, there's a risk of coming across as a bit preachy or on-the-nose about it, which can put a lot of readers off (and make me seem like a Deeply Uncool Librarian to my teenage patrons for recommending said books). This book--especially the 1990s sections--presents things in much more of a relatable, "can you believe what this guy has to put up with" way than the dreaded Very Special Episode PSA vibe that can be very hard to avoid.
Not to box them in so early but I do really hope this author continues to do YA historical fiction in the future because this was really a shining example of that genre.