#sarah henstra

[madlovenovelist]

#bookporn #coverlove

I love the cover art of ‘We Contain Multitudes!’ This was a difficult book to read and review – so many difficult issues are raised with flawed characters. Keep an eye out for the full review coming soon.

[batboyblog]

My Super Gay/Queer Reading List

The Long Run by James Acker

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Another Dimension of Us by Mike Albo

Wonders of the Invisible World by Christopher Barzak

Alan Cole Is Not a Coward by Eric Bell

Alan Cole Doesn’t Dance by Eric Bell

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan

Felix Yz by Lisa Bunker

Last Bus to Everland by Sophie Cameron

Dragging Mason County by Curtis Campbell

The House of Impossible Beauties by Joseph Cassara

Peter Darling by Austin Chant

Carry the Ocean by Heidi Cullinan

The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich

Half Bad by Sally Green

Half Wild by Sally Green

Half Lost by Sally Green

Heartbreak Boys by Simon James Green

Gay Club by Simon James Green

You’re the One That I Want by Simon James Green

We Contain Multitudes by Sarah Henstra

Totally Joe by James Howe

After School Activities by Dirk Hunter

At the Edge of the Universe by Shaun David Hutchinson

The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried by Shaun David Hutchinson

We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson

The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley by Shaun David Hutchinson

A Complicated Love Story Set in Space by Shaun David Hutchinson

The Boy Who Couldn’t Fly Straight by Jeff Jacobson

Haffling by Caleb James

The Lightning-Struck Heart by T.J. Klune

A Destiny of Dragons by T.J. Klune

The Consumption of Magic by T.J. Klune

A Wish Upon the Stars by T.J. Klune

The Extraordinaries by T.J. Klune

Flash Fire by T.J. Klune

Heat Wave by T.J. Klune

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg

The Bridge by Bill Konigsberg

Destination Unknown by Bill Konigsberg

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

Every Day by David Levithan

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

Ryan and Avery by David Levithan

How to Repair a Mechanical Heart by J.C. Lillis

Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell by Tobias Madden

When Ryan Came Back by Devon McCormack

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Fraternity by Andy Mientus

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller

Hero by Perry Moore

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

More Than This by Patrick Ness

Junior Hero Blues by J.K. Pendragon

The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros

When Everything Feels Like the Movies by Raziel Reid

Kens by Raziel Reid

Emmett by Lev A.C. Rosen

Jack of Hearts by Lev A.C. Rosen

Camp by Lev A.C. Rosen

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell

Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez

Rainbow High by Alex Sanchez

Rainbow Road by Alex Sanchez

So Hard to Say by Alex Sanchez

The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers by Adam Sass

The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer

All Kinds of Other by James Sie

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

Freak Show by James St. James

Ray of Sunlight by Brynn Stein

The Dangerous Art of Blending In by Angelo Surmelis

366 Days by Kiyoshi Tanaka

The Language of Seabirds by Will Taylor

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Wild and Crooked by Leah Thomas

Because You’ll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas

Spin Me Right Round by David Valdes

Always the Almost by Edward Underhill

Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White

Tumblr got rid of yellow so I couldn't do pride colors, sorry!

If you want help picking something out just send me an ask with what kind of thing you're looking for and I'll select something for you, and if you end up reading something because you saw this list, please let me know

[ravs6709]

Omg i love book stuff so much so sorry if there's too many here, you don't have to answer all of them if you don't want to xD

(1) what's the best book you've ever read?

(2) what's the worst book you've ever read?

(30) is there a book that changed you're life? (I'm guessing if yes it's orv lol, but i still want to hear your answer)

Omg I forgot this was in my inbox oopsies </3 (tw for mentions of rape for the second question I went on a bit of a rant)

1) um. Orv? That should be unsurprising to you lol

2) We contain Multitudes by Sarah Henstra (I think is the author name i don't wanna bother looking up). At a glance it's "Ooh gay boys sending each other letters"

BUT one of them is like 18-19, the other 14-15. Ew. The older guy only realized he caught feelings because they ended in a weird (vaguely rapey) situation where the younger one gave him a handjob (younger one coerced into it i think. One of them mightve been drunk)? Like??? That should not be the moment of feeling realization

Also while the writing had some pretty lines, the ENTIRE story was told by letters so imagine one of them writing about the handjob part. AND THEN SENDING IT TO THE OTHER genuinely what the hell. Oh also they had a fight and then the older one cheated with the younger one's sister and ALSO WROTE ABOUT IT AND SEND THAT LETTER. IMAGINE. I almost had to dnf that book but it was one of the readings for a book club (note this club exists in many schools oh my god how did this get chosen)

30) orv, obviously. But also I'll have to say the lunar chronicles, which was what made me friends with one of my best friends, and from there also kotlc, because that kickstarted me and fanfic and I've never been the same since then

[nicxxx5]

book wish list

hi! this is different from my typical posts ig but if there's one thing i love it's making lists! here is my wish list for books that i want to get as of now

The Hate U Give; Angie Thomas

I am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter; Erika L. Sanchez

You're Welcome Universe; Whitney Gardner

Leah on The Offbeat; Becky Albertalli

Picture us in the Light; Kelly Log Gilbert

The Red Scrolls of Magic

The Music of What Happens; Bill Konigsberg

Cupid Painted Blind; Marcus Herzig

The Dangerous Art of Blending In; Angelo Surmelis

Mexican Whiteboy; Matt de la Pena

Ball Don't Lie; Matt de la Pena

Bloom; Kevin Panetta

We Contain Multitudes; Sarah Henstra

This is Kind of an Epic Love Story; Kheryn Callender

Been Here All Along; Sandy Hall

You Asked For Perfect; Laura Silverman

The Music of Dolphins; Karen Hesse

Silence; Deborah Lytton

Accidental Love; Gary Soto

Every Day; David Levithan

Me Before You; Jojo Moyes

Artemis Fowl; Eoin Colfer

Unspoken; Sarah Rees Brennan

The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell; Chris Colfer

Snakehead: Alex Rider; Anthony Horowitz

Fablehaven; Brandon Mull

Virals; Kathy Reichs and Brendan Reichs

His Dark Materials: Northern Lights (or the Golden Compass); Philip Pullman

The Last Apprectice/The Spook's Secret; Joseph Delaney

Disney After Dark: Kingdom Keepers; Ridley Pearson

The Thing About Jellyfish; Ali Benjamin

Pan's Labyrinth; Guillermo del Toro

History is All You Left Me; Adam Silvera

Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heros; Edith Hamilton

Starfish; Akemi Dawn Bowman

Mosquitoland; David Arnold

Challenger Deep; Neal Shusterman

The Ghosts we Keep; Mason Deaver

The Passing Playbook; Isaac Fitzsimons

The Tragedy of Heterosexuality; Jane Ward

Holding up the Universe; Jennifer Niven

All the Bright Places; Jennifer Niven

Renegades; Marissa Meyer

The Female of the Species; Mindy McGinnis

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder; Holly Jackson

Such a Fun Age; Kiley Reid

She Gets the Girl; Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derric

Kisses and Croissants; Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau

Red, White and Royal Blue; Casey McQuiston

The Librarian of Auschwitz; Antonio Iturbe

The Rise of Kyoshi; F.C. Yee

The Shadow of Kyoshi; F.C. Yee

Love and Olives; Jenna Evans Welch

The Midnight Library; Matt Haig

The Spanish Love Deception; Elena Armas

Every Word You Never Said; Jordon Greene

When We Were Lost; Kevin Wignall

The Gravity of Missing Things; Marisa Urgo

We Are The Ants; Shaun David Hutchinson

Iron Heart; Nina Varela

Coming up for Air; Nicole B. Ryndall

Unmasking Autism; Devon Price

Planting a Seed; Kate Gaertner

Period Power; Maisie Hill

Disibility Visibility; Alice Wong

Queerly Autistic; Erin Ekins

We're Not Broken; Eric Garcia

Divergent Mind; Jenara Nerenberg

Loveless; Alice Oseman

I Was Born for This; Alice Oseman

there is for sure some that i am missing so there will definitely be a part 2 to this at some point

[ultravioletwrites]

reading “we contain multitudes” by sarah henstra and it’s squeezing my heart in the best way, adam kurlansky i love you jonathan hopkirk I love you

[thelattechronicles]

J's Reading List

This is my ongoing list (with constant new additions) - this list isn't necessarily what I'm trying to finish in just 2024 alone:

A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur

The Adult by Bronwyn Fischer

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Babel by R. F Kuang

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Big Swiss by Jen Beagin

The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery

The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman

By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare

Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer ​​

The Crescent Moon Tearoom by Stacy Sivinski

The Curator by Owen King

The Dallergut Dream Department Store

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Emily Wilde’s Enyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

The Endless Vessel by Charles Soule

Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson

Faebound by Saara El-Arifi

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary

The Fury by Alex Michaelides

The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novak

Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

I Only Read Murder by Ian and Will Ferguson

Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs

Into the Uncut Grass by Trevor Noah

Keeper of Enchanted Rooms (Whimbrel House Book 1) by Charlie N. Holmberg

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi

The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros

The Last Mona Lisa by Jonathan Sanofler

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke

The Lost Van Gogh by Jonathan Sanofler

The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult

The Maid by Nita Prose

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

Middle of the Night by Riley Sager

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Halley

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose

Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

The Perfumist of Paris by Alka Joshi

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

The Puzzle Box by Danielle Trussoni

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

Real Americans by Rachel Khong

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfield

Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross

Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park

Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

Talking at Night by Claire Daverly

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas

True Biz by Sara Novic

Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall

When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker

The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison

You Are Here by David Nicholls

Before your memory fades by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Before we say goodbye by Toshikazu Kawaguchi *

Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare (couldn’t finish it, dragging my feet through; ultimately returned before due)

Tales from the Cafe by Toshikazu Kawaguchi *

FINISHED SINCE JAN. 1, 2024 (and still going):

A Court of Thorns and ROSES BY Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Mist and Fury

A Court of Wings and Ruin

A Court of Frost and Starlight

A Court of Silver Flames

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

The Lost Tarot by Sarah Henstra

Circe by Madeline Miller

The Life Impossible by Matt Haig

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix. E. Harrow ***

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J Maas

House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern ***

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros *****

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros *****

[stinastar]

I started reading We Contain Multitudes by Sarah Henstra…

[jaskierdyke]

sarah henstra i just know your ao3 account is the fucking shits i just know u go stupid go crazy

[urghostboy]

from “We Contain Multitudes”

by Sarah Henstra

[coella-cox]

Public list of authors whom I am kindly asking to return to their google docs:

Yaa Gyasi

BRIT BENNETT

Katie Kitamura

Susan Choi

Diana Reid

Imogen Crimp

Lisa Taddeo

Elif Bautman

Ellie Eaton

Sarah Henstra

Jonathan Frazen (don't really need him to return, just kindly send in his resignation letter, so it's official)

[madlovenovelist]

Book Review – ‘We Contain Multitudes’ by Sarah Henstra

A tumultuous romance between a 15 year old and an 18 year old with a plethora of trigger warnings. Genre: Y/A, Contemporary, Romance, LGBT No. of pages: 377 Jonathan Hopkirk and Adam “Kurl” Kurlansky are partnered in English class, writing letters to one another in a weekly pen pal assignment. With each letter, the two begin to develop a friendship that eventually grows into love. But with…

[batboyblog]

Super Gay Reading List

The Long Run by James Acker Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli Another Dimension of Us by Mike Albo Wonders of the Invisible World by Christopher Barzak Alan Cole Is Not a Coward by Eric Bell Alan Cole Doesn’t Dance by Eric Bell The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan Felix Yz by Lisa Bunker Last Bus to Everland by Sophie Cameron The House of Impossible Beauties by Joseph Cassara Peter Darling by Austin Chant Carry the Ocean by Heidi Cullinan The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich Half Bad by Sally Green Half Wild by Sally Green Half Lost by Sally Green Heartbreak Boys by Simon James Green Gay Club by Simon James Green We Contain Multitudes by Sarah Henstra Totally Joe by James Howe After School Activities by Dirk Hunter At the Edge of the Universe by Shaun David Hutchinson The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried by Shaun David Hutchinson We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley by Shaun David Hutchinson A Complicated Love Story Set in Space by Shaun David Hutchinson The Boy Who Couldn’t Fly Straight by Jeff Jacobson Haffling by Caleb James The Lightning-Struck Heart by T.J. Klune A Destiny of Dragons by T.J. Klune The Consumption of Magic by T.J. Klune A Wish Upon the Stars by T.J. Klune The Extraordinaries by T.J. Klune Flash Fire by T.J. Klune Heat Wave by T.J. Klune The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg The Bridge by Bill Konigsberg Destination Unknown by Bill Konigsberg The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan Every Day by David Levithan Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan How to Repair a Mechanical Heart by J.C. Lillis Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell by Tobias Madden When Ryan Came Back by Devon McCormack Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston Fraternity by Andy Mientus The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller Hero by Perry Moore I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson More Than This by Patrick Ness Junior Hero Blues by J.K. Pendragon The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros When Everything Feels Like the Movies by Raziel Reid Kens by Raziel Reid Jack of Hearts by Lev A.C. Rosen Camp by Lev A.C. Rosen Carry On by Rainbow Rowell Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez Rainbow High by Alex Sanchez Rainbow Road by Alex Sanchez So Hard to Say by Alex Sanchez The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers by Adam Sass The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer All Kinds of Other by James Sie They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith Freak Show by James St. James Ray of Sunlight by Brynn Stein The Dangerous Art of Blending In by Angelo Surmelis 366 Days by Kiyoshi Tanaka The Language of Seabirds by Will Taylor Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas Wild and Crooked by Leah Thomas Because You’ll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas Spin Me Right Round by David Valdes Always the Almost by Edward Underhill Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White

Blue= realistic fiction Purple=fantasy/magic Green=for younger readers Pink=sci fi/magical realism

if you want help picking out a book send me an ask, also I love it when people let me know they read a book off the list

[waltwhitmansbeard]

Two more:⚓️ & 🤔: What's your favorite book?

100 follower shindig!

⚓️ a ship (romantic or platonic) i’d like to write more of

i think i'd like to give fjorester a try!!

🤔 ask me a question!

hmmm, i have a lot of books i love...one of the best books i've read in the past few years is we contain multitudes by sarah henstra (i'm such a slut for gays and walt whitman lol)

[birthdaysentiment]

« don't know what was in my head before i met you. what did i even think about? because whatever it was, it's not in there anymore. it's gone. i am completely, one hundred percent all the time filled up with you. »

“we contain multitudes” by sarah henstra 

[queer-and-dear-books]

Title: We Contain Multitudes

Author: Sarah Henstra

Genre: YA Fiction | Romance | Drama | Friendship | LGBTQ+

Content Warnings: Homophobia | Child Abuse

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

Personal Opinion: Throughout history, queer icons have sent letters to their paramours. In this book, we get to see Jo and Kurl do the same thing as their predecessors. They write in this secret world, slowly but surely falling in love as they get to know each other’s innermost thoughts. It’s romantic, it’s cheesy, it’ll make you fall in love with them too.

Couple Classification: Jonathan Hopkirk X Adam Kurlansky = Nerd X Jock

Do I Own This Book? No.

Spoilers Below For My Likes & Dislikes:

Likes:

- I was unsure of the format of this novel in which the entire story was told through letters being exchanged between the two main characters, Jonathan “Jo” Hopkirk and Adam “Kurl” Kurlansky. It felt contrived that they were retelling things with such clarity and detail. But at least they addressed, how strange it was to talk about an event that had happened when they were both there to witness it. But it worked! Really well! I like the explanation too. That they had to write it down so it would be easier for them to understand. To parse. And to remember. It was so romantic and old-school and the way they recollected memories and told them to one another was utterly enthralling. I was just so invested in the development of their friendship and eventual romance. I think of history’s queer icons. The ones that wrote letters of love, declaring their love so explicitly and unabashedly. It’s like Jo said, they created this secret universe in those letters. One that only they lived in. It was private and they could do and say whatever they wanted without fear of repercussions from society. I think that’s what made this format so amazing. It certainly helped that both characters had their own voice and unique perspectives. And they were both introspective and deep too. I just felt it in my heart and soul.

- Bron is a real one. She has always been concerned for the greater good and for all of her friends. She’s nosy, that’s for sure. But she saw that Shayna was putting herself in a very dangerous place. She had this relationship with Axel, a drug dealer, and getting involved in substance abuse. She started skipping school and acting out. Bron was rightfully worried and I really think that I would love a friend like that in my life. Even if she overstepped sometimes. She at least knew, when Kurl showed them his scars, that it was his choice whether or not to call the police on Viktor.

- The parallels in their letters were so emotional. They would write at the same time without knowing what the other person was thinking. On a Friday in May, after “breaking up” they both suffered. Kurl came home from school to find all his stuff in the yard. Viktor discovered a love poem he was writing for Jo that had included gender-specific language and was just disowned. On the spot. At the same time, Kurl was riding his bike when he was nearly side-swiped by Dowell, Maya, and the rest of the butcher boys. They had been reported to the principal for bullying earlier in the day by none other than the other person Jo had written to. They were both suffering but they couldn’t contact each other because Kurl was afraid that he was just like Viktor. He was afraid of the rage inside of his heart. The words he might say. He hadn’t unlearned all of the slurs he heard daily and it made him say the wrong thing sometimes. He wanted to end their relationship even though he was suffering and wanted nothing more than to see Jo. As for Jo. He broke his ribs because of a nasty fall he took. And then he found more pain when he saw Kurl having sex with Shayna (HIS SISTER) of all people. They were both just hurting so much that neither of them were thinking straight. One wasted and alone. The other high and betrayed. They acted in different ways which created a major rift between them but because of Bron, the pair found one another again. Because even apart, they still needed to write. They wanted to express their feelings since they had gotten so used to it. And through the letters, they were able to bridge the gap. In a way, it’s sort of like they had subverted the usual annoying trope of “miscommunication for the sake of drama” because it was resolved as soon as they got to read each other’s inner thoughts. As soon as they saw each other in their secret and maybe not-so-secret universe.

- Mark and Sylvan caring for their little brother after all that he went through makes me so giddy. Because I think it just proves that their father was a good man. Viktor was not. He had an ugliness inside of him and perhaps he was jealous of his brother for getting the girl. Getting the family. Mark and Sylvan were both old enough to leave by the time Viktor had married their mother. So they had no idea what kind of ugly man he truly was. He abused Kurl and when they found out, they blamed themselves. They wanted to protect their mother so Kurl wouldn’t have to do it anymore. Protect her and then seek out legal options. Legal options! Yes! Finally! A book where the abusive parent might actually get punished for beating their kids!

Dislikes:

- Shayna and Kurl both majorly fucked up, hooking up like that. I am more inclined to blame Shay here though because Kurl was drunk, half-awake, and depressed. He was thinking that it would be so much easier to be with a girl. Then he wouldn’t be homeless. He wouldn’t be in this horrible predicament. So he tried to force himself to change and it didn’t work. His heart wasn’t in it at all. And it broke Jo’s heart and led him to do what he did toward Christopher Dowell. They both royally screwed up. And Shayna was honestly not likable through most of the story because she was constantly at odds with Lyle, their dad. But Lyle wasn’t fair to them either. He kept secrets, he lied about their mother’s death. Their mother, Raphael, was an addict. She also “turned tricks” to earn money to support that bad addiction. So to be honest, I get why Lyle kept it from them. It was the wrong choice and the feeling of betrayal on Shayna’s and Jo’s part is valid. All their feelings and actions are valid. They were in their feelings and they felt so unsupported but it doesn’t make their actions any less disgusting. Because if I were in Jo’s position, I would never forgive Shayna. I would barely be able to forgive Kurl. Although the letters would help numb the pain, I think. I just, the betrayal would sting so bad. And because the betrayal stings so bad, I can’t give this a higher score than I want to.

- Jo’s idea that he had “seduced” Kurl is ridiculous. But also he’s been the victim of bullying for so many years and he’s insecure so I can let it slide. Still, when Kurl was being so obvious in the way he wrote about Jo, I kind of feel like Jo was deluding himself into thinking Kurl was straight. Like, no straight man would ever talk so eloquently about the way a guy was singing. The tiny details like Jo’s pajamas and the way his voice sounded, you could just tell that Kurl was already falling for him at that point. It was just so obvious. Simultaneously, I get why Jo was unsure. Kurl is very heteronormative upon first glace and he had a girlfriend. It was brief but yeah, it happened.

- Fuck the butcher boys. They all froze up when Dowell had called Jo a “faggot” so they knew that it was frowned upon in 2016 to be homophobic. Especially as they are the younger generation. Then again, it is the midwest. When Jo stood up to them though and said that he wasn’t interesting so why did they want to torment him, I think I understood it. They just wanted to force their pretend superiority over someone and they chose a kid that was weird. He did Walt Whitman cosplay and he just so happened to be queer. So they attacked him. But once he asked them why and they couldn’t come up with an answer, they saw that they were just assholes. Nothing more.

- Speaking of the butcher boys, why were they at Bron’s party? Why were Bron’s 13 year old siblings doing there too? I mean, there were drugs and alcohol! I digress. They live there. The butcher boys. Bron is super woke and they’re all homophobic so... either way, there is no way she would ever let those bigots through the door. She must’ve been hammered by the time they arrived. That is the only explanation I can think of.

- I do still find it weird that they included so much vivid detail in these letters. Like, was it really necessary? Well, it worked for the reader so I guess I shouldn’t complain about how little sense it made. I did find some parts very funny that could’ve only worked in this format. Like when they had kissed in the park and Jo stopped his letter right where Kurl said “made him sound like a psycho.” Or when Jo saw Kurl at Khang’s class at the end and finished his letter so fast that he forgot the “truly” of “Yours truly.” Although that ended up being super cute as he started signing off all his letters with “Yours.” Cheesy but so romantic.

- Everything that I’ve complained about has a reason for existing in this story. For being done in this fashion. And I appreciate it. And more importantly, I enjoyed it. So it’s hard to give this a lower score even though some of the content would usually lead me to giving it a lower score. (i.e. familial abuse, Kurl and Shayna hooking up, & random homophobic bullying.) I guess part of why everything is deemed okay to me in the end is because they acknowledged the value of their mental health. I mean, Mark is hooking Kurl up with counseling to deal with his PTSD which leads to his flashes of anger. And Jo is speaking to a girl who comes from a family of psychotherapists so he may seek help too! And most importantly of all… Viktor might end up getting arrested for abuse and I pray it happens. Healthy resolutions!

[wanderinginsideabook]

We Contain Multitudes by Sarah Henstra [Review]

Synopsis: Jonathan Hopkirk and Adam "Kurl" Kurlansky are partnered in English class, writing letters to one another in a weekly pen pal assignment. With each letter, the two begin to develop a friendship that eventually grows into love. But with homophobia, bullying, and devastating family secrets, Jonathan and Kurl struggle to overcome their conflicts and hold onto their relationship...and each other.

Star Rating: 4.5/5

My Thoughts: TW: depictions and discussions of abuse, homophobia, and drug abuse

Oh my. I can’t think of anything else to say. This book was just…chef’s kiss. It was everything.

I absolutely love and adore Jo and Kurl. They are both such fascinating and nuanced characters. Getting to pull back layer after layer and discover much more about these characters than was on the surface was so special. Getting to learn more about their personal lives made them so real and heartbreaking. I can’t get over the character work done in this novel, because it was just fantastic.

The formatting also added something so unique and special to the story. Having the entire tale play out between the letters sent back and forth between Jo and Kurl just felt so intimate and definitely added another layer to this book.

I am so glad this book came into my life and that I got to experience this compelling treasure.