Idlewild is a debut coming-of-age novel about queer friendship and identity, set in a NYC Quaker high school post-9/11.

I loved the dual narrative from both sides of the central friendship between Nell, the only openly gay person in the school, and Fay, who is drawn to queer culture but can’t find a space within it. Both characters are complexly drawn behind their united presentation of teen anarchist spirit. That being said, I did find myself racing through Nell’s chapters to spend more time with Fay – I was so desperate to see *him* understand and accept *himself* the way the reader does.

‘There seemed little point in trying to convey to them what was at stake for me – that no place existed where I could make myself understood as I was understood at Idlewild. When I left Idlewild, I would cease to exist.’

Though, heartbreakingly, we don’t see Fay break out of this, I was thrilled to read an interview from James Frankie Thomas that revealed the process of writing his novel was what helped him finally understand himself.

LGBTQ+ representation and art couldn’t be more important to engage with and support in the current climate, pick a copy of this up if you can.