Roar Cat Reads

Tag: nonbinary

  • FINNA by Nino Cipri

    FINNA by Nino Cipri

    Genre | Science Fiction Novella
    Page #s | 136
    Publishing Date | February 2020

    When an elderly customer at a big box furniture store slips through a portal to another dimension, it’s up to two minimum-wage employees to track her across the multiverse and protect their company’s bottom line. Multi-dimensional swashbuckling would be hard enough, but our two unfortunate souls broke up a week ago.

    Can friendship blossom from the ashes of a relationship? In infinite dimensions, all things are possible.

    Goodreads

    I tore through Finna, an excellent novella about two exes who have to travel through IKEA-esque multiverses to rescue a lost woman. By turns exciting, horrific, and wondrous, this story left me both satisfied and wanting more.

    Ava starts the book in an anxiety spiral about seeing Jules, her ex, at work LitenVärld, an unsubtle analogue for IKEA. When someone’s grandmother goes missing, the by-the-rules manager drags out a VCR to show the company’s policy on unexpected tears in the universe. Those with least seniority are sent in with a FINNA, a device to track people lost in the wormhole, which means Ava and Jules have to venture in together.

    As the story progresses, we learn why their relationship imploded. Watching them deconstruct what broke them apart while using those same characteristics to survive a strange adventure is incredibly satisfying. The stakes were high, and their increased understanding and appreciation of each other never felt trite. This isn’t about them getting back together. It’s about growing beyond the pain and easy answers.

    The two make these self-discoveries while wandering through various alternate IKEAs – I mean, LitenVärlds. One world has carnivorous furniture, another accepts payment in blood at the store restaurant, and another is a submarine market. I thoroughly enjoyed these creative (and sometimes horrific) iterations of one of my favorite box stores, but the end made the hints toward an expanded multiverse that sounds even better.

    I’m desperate for more, which is why I’ve already put Defekt on hold at the library. Nino Cipri is an excellent writer, and I can’t wait to see what else they have up their sleeve!

    What Makes This Book Queer?

    Ava and Jules are in a queer relationship. Jules identifies as trans/non-binary, the story deftly includes their frustration at being misgendered by customers or the horrible boss’s awkward attempts to use any pronouns out of a refusal to try the singular “they.” It is also strongly implied that Jules’ recklessness is fueled by their wonder at having lived to be twenty-five as a trans immigrant of colour. The queerness of it all is interwoven flawlessly, and can I just say: more non-binary dashing heroes, please!

    Who Would I Recommend This Book To?

    Finna is the perfect gift for someone who loves a quirky hook (wormholes in IKEA) and appreciates a short story with a emotional punch.

    Rating: 5 out of 5.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!

    Find more books nominated for Lambda Literary Awards reviewed here.

  • I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver

    I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver

    When Ben De Backer comes out to their parents as nonbinary, they’re thrown out of their house and forced to move in with their estranged older sister, Hannah, and her husband, Thomas, whom Ben has never even met. Struggling with an anxiety disorder compounded by their parents’ rejection, they come out only to Hannah, Thomas, and their therapist and try to keep a low profile in a new school.

    But Ben’s attempts to survive the last half of senior year unnoticed are thwarted when Nathan Allan, a funny and charismatic student, decides to take Ben under his wing. As Ben and Nathan’s friendship grows, their feelings for each other begin to change, and what started as a disastrous turn of events looks like it might just be a chance to start a happier new life.

    At turns heartbreaking and joyous, I Wish You All the Best is both a celebration of life, friendship, and love, and a shining example of hope in the face of adversity. 

    Goodreads

    A coming of age coming out novel that handles the fear of being fully yourself with patience. It stresses the importance of finding safe people to be your foundation so that you can better survive the spaces and people who are less safe (or actively dangerous).

    Ben begins the story at their lowest moment, having just been kicked out of their house after telling their parents that they are nonbinary. I can tell I am old because I just wanted to cuddle them and make everything okay for this tiny precious child. In a nice twist of the “found family” story, Ben finds a family…in their estranged older sister. It was a joy to see the two of them reconnecting and building a new relationship while addressing the pain of their initial separation (which had more to do with their parents than each other).

    Ben finds family in other ways too, of course. I loved the role of the Internet in Ben’s life. It is through Internet role models and community that Ben is able to label themselves nonbinary, and the friends they make online are a support throughout the book. Queer folx often find community online, so this felt very true. But I did like that they eventually joined an in-person support group as well.

    As for those parents…ugh. They are awful in very realistic ways. The dad is just pure bigotry with an utter lack of desire to understand his child. The scene where he condescendingly says, “Now who’s misgendering someone?” to Ben just reeked of smug superiority. It is infuriating and heartbreaking. The mom is more subtly bigoted. She wants to love her child, but under terms that she understands. I do feel a bit sympathetic toward her; I wonder what her reaction might have been if she were married to someone different.

    The romance in this book is adorable, and the chemistry between Ben and Nathan is SO CUTE. However, I have a gripe. No matter how anxious and insecure Ben is, could they REALLY doubt Nathan’s feelings toward them? Nathan overtly flirts with Ben from day one, holding their hand, repeatedly saying they are handsome and cute. I mean, come on!! Teenage boys do not do that sort of thing with their friends. Still…so cute.

    The last thing I’ll note is that I really liked that the book allowed space for people close to Ben to mess up. Sometimes people slipped and called them something masculine. Ben’s inner monologue let’s us know that they are hurt by this, but they model healthy relationships by pointing out instances of misgendering and allowing people to apologize and learn. I think these depictions can help those of us who identify as cisgender to enter into conversations and relationships with nonbinary folx with a little more confidence.

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    Check out our Queer Lil Library for more book recommendations and reviews!