School Library Journal Review
Gr 10 Up--Glasheen draws from personal experience to create the story of Claire, a teen struggling with their identity in 1980s New York. Claire is constantly asked whether they are a girl or boy. The frequent questions and hostility from some of the adults and family members in their life leads them to cope with alcohol abuse. Eventually their alcohol abuse becomes so severe that they are sent to inpatient treatment for substance abuse. While in treatment, Claire meets a variety of teens struggling with their own addictions and begins to gain a better understanding of their identity and possible romantic interests. Claire's counselor, Charlie, is a strong positive role model who helps Claire through their journey of recovery. Substance abuse and its consequences are not shied away from, and later pages show what happens to some of the characters in the book. Claire's narration of the story is featured in watercolor illustrations enhanced with surreal notebook drawings that both mirror their journaling and provide additional insight into their thoughts. Emotions are drawn with exaggerated expressions so that readers can see the depth of Claire's feelings. VERDICT A tale of gender identity and recovery that will resonate with readers and leave them thinking long after the final page. A first purchase for all young adult library collections.--Ashley Leffel
Publisher's Weekly Review
In the 1980s, high schooler Claire doesn't know exactly who they are or where they fit in their Irish Catholic family and the surrounding Troy, N.Y., community ("Having a girlfriend isn't the part that feels the most wrong. It's the being a girl part"). The conflict between conforming to their family's pressure that they "act like a normal girl" and their own discomfort with their gender identity throws them into a spiral that they try to mitigate with increased alcohol consumption. Claire falls further into alcohol dependency when classmates begin bullying them for kissing a girl, and a subsequent spiral results in them being placed in a juvenile recovery program. Loosely lined art by Glasheen (A Radical Shift of Gravity), rendered in soft watercolors, lends a sense of nostalgia to Claire's tale, varied panel shapes contain a youthful verve, and overflowing text fittingly captures Claire's feelings of overwhelm. This solo debut--a fictionalized, somewhat autobiographical accounting, as indicated in an author's note--explores its protagonist's struggles to be a part of their family and community while learning to accept themself, potently reflecting on themes of addiction, healing, and identity. Ages 14--up. Agent: Anjali Singh, Ayesha Pande Literary. (May)
