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ninetalevixen 's review for:
We Are Totally Normal
by Naomi Kanakia
content warnings:
rep:
★ 1.5 stars ★
First things first: I really wanted to enjoy this, because I can't think of another book centered on an MC questioning their sexual and romantic orientation where, and it's something I would love to see more of (especially in YA/NA) because it's an underrepresented experience that many will be able to relate. Even Nandan's worry about is something I worried about before I came out in high school, but it's not something I've ever seen any other character even consider.
Unfortunately, the rep (including the questioning MC, queer secondary/minor characters, and Asian-American) was about the only thing I liked. The prose and plot are monotonous, the characters are objectively awful people who use their parents' money and each others' reputations to further their own social status (except, a cinnamon roll who Deserves Better), there's consistent and pervasive bi and ace erasure, and all the facetious comments about microaggressions contribute to the idea that kids these days are either apathetic assholes or sensitive SJWs.
Generally I like Quiet and/or Contemporary fiction, where interpersonal relationships and personal identity are the focus rather than external conflicts. But this just felt like a series of hangouts and drama and transitions where characters catch each other up on what they've missed; there's continuity but no larger arc beyond. Honestly, it's like a 300+ page self-pity party.
It's worth noting that other reviewers mention that they relate to the high school experience, but of course not all high school experiences are the same and I did not relate at all: my high school had cliques, but my friend group and the circles we overlapped with genuinely did not care about power and popularity. We were friends because we actually liked each other. (What a concept.) Possibly what annoys me the most is that Nandan constantly projects his social-climbing motives onto other people, assuming that everyone who matters thinks exactly the same way and proclaiming that everyone else is irrelevant.
Even as Nandan grapples with his identity, he uses "queer" as a synonym for "gay," essentially ignoring the existence of the other letters in LGBTQIAP+. One of the girls in the friend group is (out as) bisexual, and another suggests asexuality and demisexuality as possible labels, so we know that he knows these orientations exist. Yet Nandan doesn't even consider them, instead oscillating between "straight" and "gay" as if they are the only options. There's also a line about how the labels are just words so they don't matter or something — it's valid that Nandan feels this way, but I wish at least another character would've shown that these same labels can be reaffirming and encouraging for others, who find a sense of belonging and relief in having the vocabulary to explain their identity.
Also, every single teenager in this book texts in perfectly grammatical sentence case, starting with capital letters and ending with periods, with the occasional abbreviation (including "K," as though this isn't anathema to your average texter). Sure, it's more readable, but if you're gonna write it that way you may as well just paraphrase everything instead of formatting text exchanges.
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CONVERSION: 4.15 / 15 = 1.5 stars
Prose: 4 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 2 / 10
Emotional Impact: 1 / 10
Development / Flow: 2 / 10
Setting: 3 / 10
Diversity & Social Themes: 3 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: 1 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: 2 / 5
Rereadability: 1 / 5
Spoiler
underage drinking, peer pressure, ableist language (incl. cr*zy), homophobia & slurs (f*g), internalized queerphobia, q*eer (used as neutral term), bi erasure & biphobia, underage sex, sex while drunk, implied sexual content, unwanted sex, being outed, microaggressionsrep:
Spoiler
Indian-American questioning MC [Nandan], Asian-American MLM LI [Dave], M/M central relationship, past F/(questioning) M relationship, gay major character [Henry], Indian-American major character/LI [Avani], Vietnamese-American bisexual minor character [Carrie], minor F/F relationship, diverse secondary & minor characters★ 1.5 stars ★
First things first: I really wanted to enjoy this, because I can't think of another book centered on an MC questioning their sexual and romantic orientation where
Spoiler
they don't end up with a definite answerSpoiler
his own motive for coming out being attention/feeling specialUnfortunately, the rep (including the questioning MC, queer secondary/minor characters, and Asian-American) was about the only thing I liked. The prose and plot are monotonous, the characters are objectively awful people who use their parents' money and each others' reputations to further their own social status (except
Spoiler
DaveGenerally I like Quiet and/or Contemporary fiction, where interpersonal relationships and personal identity are the focus rather than external conflicts. But this just felt like a series of hangouts and drama and transitions where characters catch each other up on what they've missed; there's continuity but no larger arc beyond
Spoiler
Nandan's "journey"It's worth noting that other reviewers mention that they relate to the high school experience, but of course not all high school experiences are the same and I did not relate at all: my high school had cliques, but my friend group and the circles we overlapped with genuinely did not care about power and popularity. We were friends because we actually liked each other. (What a concept.) Possibly what annoys me the most is that Nandan constantly projects his social-climbing motives onto other people, assuming that everyone who matters thinks exactly the same way and proclaiming that everyone else is irrelevant.
Even as Nandan grapples with his identity, he uses "queer" as a synonym for "gay," essentially ignoring the existence of the other letters in LGBTQIAP+. One of the girls in the friend group is (out as) bisexual, and another suggests asexuality and demisexuality as possible labels, so we know that he knows these orientations exist. Yet Nandan doesn't even consider them, instead oscillating between "straight" and "gay" as if they are the only options. There's also a line about how the labels are just words so they don't matter or something — it's valid that Nandan feels this way, but I wish at least another character would've shown that these same labels can be reaffirming and encouraging for others, who find a sense of belonging and relief in having the vocabulary to explain their identity.
Also, every single teenager in this book texts in perfectly grammatical sentence case, starting with capital letters and ending with periods, with the occasional abbreviation (including "K," as though this isn't anathema to your average texter). Sure, it's more readable, but if you're gonna write it that way you may as well just paraphrase everything instead of formatting text exchanges.
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CONVERSION: 4.15 / 15 = 1.5 stars
Prose: 4 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 2 / 10
Emotional Impact: 1 / 10
Development / Flow: 2 / 10
Setting: 3 / 10
Diversity & Social Themes: 3 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: 1 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: 2 / 5
Rereadability: 1 / 5