What We Left Behind

August 1, 2015
A relationship between Gretchen, who identifies as a lesbian, and Toni, whose gender identity evolves, suffers growing pains when the two attend college in different cities. When they started dating, Toni had just fought their all-girls school for the right to wear pants, and Gretchen had just arrived from New York. Two years and almost no fights later, Toni and Gretchen leave for Harvard and NYU respectively. Toni falls in with a group predominantly consisting of young trans men and begins to explore new labels and pronouns. Gretchen becomes close with Carroll, an acerbic gay freshman whose discomfitingly vitriolic derision toward Toni's identity forces Gretchen to confront her own insecurities. Characterization is poignant and razor-sharp; well-drawn secondary characters often notice details about Toni and Gretchen before they do. There is no definitive resolution for the questions about Toni's gender or Gretchen's uncertainty about partnering with someone male-identified, but exploration is the point here more than answers are. The story does suffer, however, from a few strange omissions: only when Toni's mother threatens to take away Toni's credit-card privileges is there a hint of acknowledgement Toni has vastly more financial resources than the average teen, and despite Carroll's use of slurs typically wielded against transgender women, trans women themselves are conspicuously absent. Emotionally astute, with a few gaps. (Fiction. 14-18)

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April 1, 2015

Talley tells the story of a teen couple--Gretchen, who identifies as a lesbian, and Toni, who identifies as genderqueer--and their struggle to stay together.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 1, 2015

Gr 10 Up-High school's perfect queer couple, Toni and Gretchen, navigate changes in their relationship freshman year as they attend separate colleges and form new friendships. A group of transgender upperclassmen at Harvard befriend Toni, who identifies as genderqueer, and offer support to explore questions of gender identity despite roommate drama and family strife. At NYU, Gretchen quickly forms a close friendship with Carroll, a freshman eager to experience gay life in the big city. Although determined not to let the distance get between them, Toni and Gretchen soon find their course work and new friendships altering their previously made plans and promises. Well-placed flashbacks to their high school romance provide context and counterpoint for the strain of the long-distance relationship in the present. Tightly focused on Toni's and Gretchen's changing relationships and identities, this title is a must-read for high school Gay Straight Alliance members. Amid discussions of gender neutral pronouns and coming out practice sessions, both primary and secondary characters experience a believable freedom to explore at college. Alternating close-ups of Gretchen's and Toni's thoughts in the present and past allow readers insight into their romance and their insecurities. Toni's genderqueer identity contributes a fresh perspective to LGBTQ fiction. VERDICT Recommended for all collections trying to fill a gap in the representation of transgender voices in teen fiction.-Amanda Foulk, Sacramento Public Library

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.