Way to Go

March 12, 2012
As summer vacation begins on the
sland of Cape Breton in Nova Scotia, 17-year-old Danny feels lost, with no
career aspirations and the burden of hiding that he’s gay. He’s also having trouble relating to his two best friends—brash, confident Kierce and laid-back Jay. When Danny starts working at a new restaurant as a dishwasher, he discovers a passion for cooking, becomes sous chef at the restaurant, and bonds with Lisa, a hip and sophisticated waitress from New York City with troubles of her own. Set in 1994 (when the author was himself a teenager), Ryan’s debut novel focuses on Danny’s frustrations and self-doubt (“Being gay was the last thing on earth that I wanted, but my body refused to cooperate with my brain”). Though Danny’s angst and dithering may frustrate gay teens who are comparatively more self-confident in their sexuality, those who, like Danny, feel like “an island of gayness in an ocean of straightness,” should identify with his search for a path of his own. Ages 12–up.

June 1, 2012

Gr 10 Up-It's 1994 in the small Canadian seaside town of Deep Cove, and three 17-year-old boys are ready to spend the summer picking up girls, although Dan is questioning whether that's what he really wants. When he turns down prospects for easy sex, his friend Kierce gets suspicious and taunts him with the rumors that he's gay. Danny desperately wants not to be and doesn't know what he wants to do with his life. In a new job at a restaurant, he meets Lisa, a sophisticated girl from New York City who he hopes will inspire sexual passion, but he finds a passion for cooking instead. This coming-of-age, coming-out story, a first novel, barely scratches the surface of what could be deep soul-searching. The teen's revelation to friends and family and their quick acceptance seem too easy, and references to mid-'90s pop and movie stars are likely to baffle contemporary readers.-Shawna Sherman, Hayward Public Library, CA

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