While it does nothing new, Printz Award-winning author A. S. Kings latest book, ASK THE PASSENGERS, does everything old in this subgenre of YA contemporary literature well.
Every year, there are more than a handful of books published about a teens gradual awareness of his or her sexual orientation. And I guess that if you want to pick just a handful to represent this subgenre, ASK THE PASSENGERS might be a good choice. Besides for doing the elements of LGBT lit well, it also gets the essentials right. Astrid has an almost soothingly relatable voice, and narrates the could-be-dramatic events of her senior year with a perfect balance of gravity and wit. Supporting characters are not perfectyoull start counting the number of times you want to slap Dee, or Astrids mom, or Astrids sister, or Astrids best friendbut their antagonism doesnt seem to exist solely for the narrative purpose of making readers sympathize with Astrid. Instead, you really get to see why two people would see the same issue in two completely different ways while each believing her way is betterjust like in real life.
ASK THE PASSENGERS is a solid read, but because it doesnt do anything new with this well-trod genre, Im inclined to think that overall the story will not linger for most readers. Everything gets resolved prettily in a cool 300 pages, despite the previous possibility of there being more layers to familiar issues: Why must each person be totally straight or totally gay? Whats up with Astrids mom? While the book hinted at further dimensions in all supporting characters, in the end, the only part of the characters that remain is the part that is relevant to Astrids own conflict over her sexual orientation. This led to a flattened ending for me, and I was disappointed, as these deviations from the norms of this subgenre were actually what made me most appreciative of this book in the first place.
ASK THE PASSENGERS will most likely most satisfy readers who focus on LGBT lit and readers who are new to this subgenre. While its a good literary demonstration of what can be solid about YA lit, it doesnt push the formula enough to be memorable for me.
Every year, there are more than a handful of books published about a teens gradual awareness of his or her sexual orientation. And I guess that if you want to pick just a handful to represent this subgenre, ASK THE PASSENGERS might be a good choice. Besides for doing the elements of LGBT lit well, it also gets the essentials right. Astrid has an almost soothingly relatable voice, and narrates the could-be-dramatic events of her senior year with a perfect balance of gravity and wit. Supporting characters are not perfectyoull start counting the number of times you want to slap Dee, or Astrids mom, or Astrids sister, or Astrids best friendbut their antagonism doesnt seem to exist solely for the narrative purpose of making readers sympathize with Astrid. Instead, you really get to see why two people would see the same issue in two completely different ways while each believing her way is betterjust like in real life.
ASK THE PASSENGERS is a solid read, but because it doesnt do anything new with this well-trod genre, Im inclined to think that overall the story will not linger for most readers. Everything gets resolved prettily in a cool 300 pages, despite the previous possibility of there being more layers to familiar issues: Why must each person be totally straight or totally gay? Whats up with Astrids mom? While the book hinted at further dimensions in all supporting characters, in the end, the only part of the characters that remain is the part that is relevant to Astrids own conflict over her sexual orientation. This led to a flattened ending for me, and I was disappointed, as these deviations from the norms of this subgenre were actually what made me most appreciative of this book in the first place.
ASK THE PASSENGERS will most likely most satisfy readers who focus on LGBT lit and readers who are new to this subgenre. While its a good literary demonstration of what can be solid about YA lit, it doesnt push the formula enough to be memorable for me.
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