You guys, I was totally unprepared for this book.
Like every other human, I had read The Fault in Our Stars and thought it was pretty good. Then I tried reading more John Green, and got Paper Towns. AND I HATED IT SO, SO MUCH. And that was the end of my John Green experiment.
As for David Levithan, my only experience was his short story in My True Love Gave to Me. And I loathed that one.
I didn’t have high hopes for this one, to say the least. But I kept seeing Cannonballers that I trust and respect review and discuss the “sequel”, Hold Me Closer, The Tiny Cooper Story. It just seemed like such a fun, enjoyable read. And I wanted to be a part of it.
I didn’t expect to love it. I didn’t expect to cry. I didn’t expect to read it in one sitting. I didn’t expect to NEED to get my hands on Hold Me Closer immediately (note: still looking. My usually great library doesn’t have this one, yet).
But I did love it. It’s being added to the pile of books set aside for Bunnybean to read in a few years — the books that I think portray teens honestly, even if that honesty is sometimes too brutal to deal with. It’s going to get put on the shelf alongside Rainbow Rowell, Laini Taylor, Diana Peterfreund, and AS King.
I think, by now, most of you out there now the deal with this book. There are two different boys named Will Grayson living in the Chicago area — one (Will Grayson) written by Green, and the other (will grayson) written by Levithan in alternating chapters.
Will lives with his parents in a nice suburb, goes to a nice school, and while certainly not the most popular guy in school, has a nice group of friends. In particular, he has his best friend, the fabulous Tiny Cooper.
will lives with his mom in an apartment and takes medicine for depression. he has trouble making friends and the person he is closest to is his online boyfriend, isaac. when will realizes that someone close to him has betrayed him, he is comforted by the fabulous tiny cooper.
Tiny Cooper, who could have been a horrible, annoying stereotype, is instead a strong, confident character, who makes everything better. I know my high school years would have been a lot better if I had the pleasure of knowing an enormous, gay, musical-singing football player.
<Gripe>My only gripe with this book (spoiler?) is my absolute hatred of Maura. I can’t accept what she did and that she is more or less forgiven by the end. That was just way too mean and selfish. </Gripe>
Also, I have to admit my embarrassment that at one point I tried to look up the word “sobutand”. Please don’t tell anyone.
I loathed Maura quite a lot too, but then I forced myself to remember that she’s a teenage girl, and all teenagers suck and being a teenage girl sucks, so I decided to cut her some slack. What she did was loathsome, but I work as a secondary school teacher and I see first hand all the devious and devestating things teenage girls do to each other. I’ve had to mediate in some pretty hair-raising cases.
Bunnybean is almost 11 and this is something I worry about pretty much constantly. The schemes and backstabbing that already exist in the fifth grade are mind-boggling. Sigh.