#and carson lowkey implies that that family is human

[captainshyguy]

my mum: so is the thing on dimentio's head hat or hair, is it a part of him? or can he take it off??

me: g-good question????

[boricuareads]

All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages

Rating: 4.3/5 (taken from the average ratings of all the stories, but i’m giving it 5/5 on Goodreads)

Review: 

I decided to review this anthology mostly because I loved it a lot but also because I have a lot of feelings about this anthology. (20GAYTEEN IS IN FULL POWER AND I’M LOVING IT)

Edited by Saundra Mitchell, this anthology was the queer historical fiction anthology I never knew I needed and that you absolutely will love. The collection of short stories vary in lengths and subjects, some have fantasy laced within them, others magical realism, and some are just historical romances that pack punches.

In the introduction, Mitchell explained the process with which she approached the making of this book, saying that she asked authors to provide a story that they wished they’d had when they were teens with queer characters. The one parameter was that they should take place before the year 2000 (the one exception was Sara Farizan’s, but I’ll get there). There were 17 stories in total, all stories completely different, therefore I am rating the book as a whole and then the stories individually. I’m putting them under a read more because it’s a Long Post.

Rosa by Anna-Marie McLemore (5/5) - I’m getting to a certain point in my life where my preferences are solidifying when it comes to which authors I’d buy books from without hesitation, and Anna Marie is one of those authors for me. I legitimately bought this anthology because I heard her story opened the entire book. I have no shame whatsoever. I felt so happy and full of love after finishing Rosa. It’s like she cradled me in her arms and laid me down on a bed of gentle flowers as the moonlight shone over us and whispered its protection. Like, she really had to write this into her story:

“They took you because you stayed for me,” I said, still keeping my voice to a whisper. “I am poison. Don’t you see that?” .... “You are here and I am alive.” Now his accent turned sharp, not his practiced Spanish. “So tell me what makes you poison.”

[FUCKING SLAY ME] [by the way, Anna-Marie said she may or may not be contemplating writing a full-novel based on this story so AAAAA]

The Sweet Trade by Natalie C. Parker (4.5/5) - In this story, we see runaway brides, the promise of piracy brewing, as well as two women embracing each other’s company away from the patriarchal notions that their time held. I thought it was well-written, knocked it out of the park for me.

And They Don’t Kiss At The End by Nilah Magruder (4/5) - Magruder wrote a short and sweet little story about a black girl avoiding a boy she may or may not like just because she doesn’t feel adequate about her sexuality. It was a really neat exploration of the inner arguments someone who’s ace, but doesn’t have the vocabulary yet for it, might be having. It  also features rollerskating, which is a cool thing I’d never seen in a story.

Burnt Umber by Mackenzi Lee (5/5) - This story made me cringe so much but it was a testament of how well the author can write secondhand embarrassment. Lee managed to inject feeling into her witty dialogue, and it made me want to finish The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue. Revolving around a young Dutch painter having trouble with his human anatomy lessons and the fit young men in his life, the story is full of colors and fumbling artistes. 

The Dresser and the Chambermaid by Robin Talley (4/5) - I liked Talley’s piece, which isn’t surprising because she strikes me as a great writer. I haven’t read any of her books (YET) but I’ve been thinking about it for a while because she gets a lot of praise. I think with this one it solidified my desire to read her books because I really loved this period piece. It gave me some The Handmaiden vibes when they met, but it was sweet and it became more of soft British period film (it even had a cameo of King George I).

New Year by Malinda Lo (4/5) - I was already familiar with Malinda Lo’s writing from reading Ash a year ago. This piece was as lowkey and muted as Ash was, perhaps even more so which is astonishing since most of the story takes place in a hectic Chinese New Year’s celebration in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Following a girl who is still trying to figure out her sexuality and is seeing a woman in drag for the first time with a fine woman by her side, Lo managed to talk about diaspora among Chinese immigrants in San Francisco as well as their culture. It also speaks about the internalized homophobia a queer person of color has to deal with after exposure to so much externalized homophobia.

Molly’s Lips by Dahlia Adler (4/5) - Who knew a story about two grunge best friends living through Kurt Cobain’s suicide as well as mourning his death could be so sweet. Also, best friends to lovers? Yes, please!

The Coven by Kate Scelsa (3.5/5) - I hadn’t realized I’d already read one of her books (Fans of the Impossible Life) until after I finished the book. I didn’t mind this story as much as her previous book, but then again, this book was set in Paris and had a cameo from Gertrude Stein. The story was confusing, and I’m sure that if I reread it I might get it, but for now I shall be confused for a while.

Every Shade of Red by Elliot Wake (5/5) - Elliot Wake’s story was a standout for me; I’m still thinking about it and wondering what’s happening to the characters after that tumultuous ending??? I loved the imagery, the characters, the retelling, even the antagonists (I mean, I hope they die, but they were compelling)! Hey Elliot, why’d you have to do me like this? Tell us about Robin’s fate, I beg of you.

Willows by Scott Tracey (4/5) - Willows is a short story that takes place sometime around the Salem Witch Trials, but in the case of Tracey’s piece it revolves around a boy who’s been cursed and can remember the memories of other cursed people who’d been killed for witchcraft. This was another story that left me confused by the end, yet it was so well-written that I wasn’t mad.

The Girl With The Blue Lantern by Tess Sharpe (5/5) -  I liked Tess Sharpe’s story, it mixed historical fiction and fantasy, which is one of my favorite things to see. It reminded me of what I’ve read of Rae Carson’s Gold Seer trilogy (I’ve only read a few chapters of Walk On Earth a Stranger though), but it was mixed with some sort of mermaid mythology that made it stand apart. I’m glad that Orianna said the gold isn’t Ella’s to take; it made me wonder how different the story would be if it had more of a critique of how the Gold Rush decimated native communities in California.

The Secret Life of a Teenage Boy by Alex Sanchez (3.5/5) - Listen, I’m on record hating Boyfriends with Girlfriends, and I’m still not sure of how I feel about this story, but I liked the writing I guess. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, having some redemptive qualities (Cuban-American family, sibling shenanigans). But I still didn’t like it that much (he really went and wrote a 16 year old kissing a college student and almost had them runaway after JUST meeting). I don’t know what else to say without being mean. 

Walking After Midnight by Kody Keplinger (4.5/5) - This story made me want to make a short film out of it, maybe in black and white, following these two girls who chanced upon meeting after Betsey misses her train.It was lovely and fitting for a story revolving a girl who may be an ace lesbian (? at least that’s how I interpreted her). 

The End of the World As We Know It by Sara Farizan (4/5) - I have many thoughts about Sara Farizan’s books but I found this story okay. It was well-written and she did a good job of building up the relationship between the two main characters. The story was set on New Years’ Eve pre-Y2K, which is what I mentioned earlier in the post. 

Three Witches by Tessa Gratton (3.5/5) - This story was... interesting. It’s set in a convent in Castile during the 16th century, and the main character was sent there by her brother. I said other stories’ endings confused me, but none more than this one. Was it implying the silent nun was the Virgin? IDK, it was strange. Also, the author’s been accused of sexual harassment so I’m not giving the story much weight.

The Inferno & the Butterfly by Shaun David Hutchinson (4.5/5) - I haven’t read any of his books but I’ve heard they’re great, so I’m glad I got a taste of his writing here. His story follows two magicians assistants who have been neglected and abused by their bosses. One of the boys has magic powers of teleportation, but believes it to be a curse. I thought that was compelling, seeing as usually queer characters believe their sexualities are curses (which is actually something that’s seen in some of the stories in this anthology), and actually their sexuality wasn’t seen as strange at all. Kinda maddening that this is still a thing even in a short story collection about queer characters. 

Healing Rosa by Tehlor Kay Mejia (5/5) - From well-known author of queer characters of color to an up-and-coming author of queer characters of color, we went full circle in this anthology. Closing out the collection, Mejia provides a tale of a girl in New Mexico grieving the loss of her curandera abuela as well as her girlfriend. A tale that weaves magical realism into themes of cultural and generational trauma and embracing your culture and those around you in order to heal, I loved it. I think it goes hand in hand with Anna-Marie MClemore’s, especially since both touch on the traumas of war on the oppressed. 

All Out was a great collection, and you should go grab it now! 

(Amazon / B&N / Book Depository)