THE OTHER SIDE OF THE OCEAN

An undocumented Brazilian immigrant navigates life in 2011 Framingham, Massachusetts.

Sixteen-year-old Mateus Franco—or Matt, which is easier for Americans—left Brazil when he was only 6, arriving with his family on a tourist visa. He still speaks a little Portuguese, but he feels far enough removed from Brazil that moving back wouldn’t be his first choice. Matt’s group of friends—Fa, Diana, and Pedro—are so close to his heart they might as well be a second family. They’re all Brazilian, and they share the everyday struggles that undocumented children can’t help being burdened by. While their classmates are thinking about ordinary teen milestones, they’re focusing on living in the present because tomorrow is uncertain. But now Matt is forced to confront his deepest feelings and desires in the form of James Alberte, the new transfer student. He’s immediately attracted to “dimple boy,” and their chemistry is through the roof. Matt is tired of being closeted, but “the not knowing how people would handle [his] truth [keeps him] from living it.” When Fa and Diana came out as lesbian, Matt’s dad asked if he thought of “hooking up with both of them.” With his dad increasingly exhausted by the limitations of life as an undocumented person and talking about returning to Brazil, life at home isn’t easy. This novel is brilliantly executed, threaded through with linguistic gems and deeply rooted in both Brazilian culture and the mind of a teenage boy.

Heartfelt and authentically grounded; a must-read.