Unprecedented Times by Malavika Kannan, Henry Holt and Co., $ 18.99, 352 pages
College, first love, queer identity, political idealism, and a global pandemic: Unprecedented Times throws all of it into Rishi’s already complicated first year at Stanford. Malavika Kannan’s debut adult novel has a wonderfully restless energy, capturing the uncertainty of being young and convinced you’re supposed to have your future figured out. Rishi’s relationships are messy, funny, frustrating, and deeply recognizable, while her questions about storytelling and self-invention give the novel an extra layer. Kannan also brings an especially sharp perspective to the experience of a queer Indian American woman coming of age during an utterly disorienting moment.
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The Weight of One Pomegranate by Brynne Rebele-Henry, Soho Teen, $ 19.99, 192 pages
Grief and first love rarely make an easy pairing, but that tension is exactly what makes The Weight of One Pomegranate so affecting. After losing her older sister, seventeen-year-old Isadora begins investigating the parts of Eleni’s life she never knew, uncovering secrets while simultaneously trying to understand her own feelings for her friend Ani. Brynne Rebele-Henry writes Isadora with an intimate, thoughtful voice that makes her uncertainty feel wonderfully real. The mystery gives the story momentum, but its heart lies in the way Isadora slowly learns that loving someone, losing someone, and becoming yourself can all happen at once.
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Mysterious Skin by Scott Heim, Harper Perennial, $ 18.99, 336 pages
Some books stay with you because their stories are beautiful. Others stay because they force you to look more closely at difficult things. Scott Heim’s Mysterious Skin belongs firmly in the latter category. First published in 1995 and now returning in a new Harper Perennial edition, the novel follows Brian and Neil, two boys whose memories of a traumatic summer have sent their lives in radically different directions. Heim’s exploration of memory, sexuality, abuse, and survival is unsettling but deeply compelling, with the mystery surrounding Brian’s lost memories gradually giving way to painful truths. This is challenging reading, but also unforgettable.
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Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $ 12.99, 272 pages
Three boys. Three very different experiences of being gay. One unforgettable YA story. Alex Sanchez’s Rainbow Boys follows Jason, Kyle, and Nelson as they navigate coming out, friendship, family, bullying, romance, and the complicated process of figuring out who they want to be. First published in 2001, the novel is now being reissued for its 25th anniversary with a new introduction by Maia Kobabe and a note from Sanchez. Reading it today offers both a glimpse into queer YA history and a reminder of how universal the desire for acceptance can be. Messy, earnest, and heartfelt, it remains an important coming-of-age story.
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