LET THEM STARE

Van Ness, a hairstylist known for the TV series Queer Eye, teams up with best-selling author Murphy for this story about one teen’s very gay summer.

Recent high school graduate Sully is ready to leave behind the woes of being a nonbinary fashionista in small-town Hearst, Pennsylvania, and jet off to the Big Apple, where a yearlong internship with an influencer awaits. At their going-away party, they burn some bridges and go out with a bangin’ first kiss. But the flaky influencer drops Sully before they even leave town, and they’re left with no backup plan. Scoring what might be “one of the rarest vintage handbag finds of all time” might help, at least with acquiring the funds to escape. Sully is shocked when a ghost emerges from the bag—Rufus, a gay man, “female impersonator,” and mid-20th-century Hearst resident. While Sully works to pick up the pieces of their own life, they also help Rufus recover his memories, discovering surprising depths to their hometown along the way. This quirky, passionate, rebellious, and quick-witted novel brings aspects of modern queer culture into direct, literal conversation with elements of its past. It’s a monument to what came before, a testament to continued struggles, and a celebration of queer joy. The main characters’ arcs are well-constructed; Sully’s and Rufus’ dual journeys of discovery flow well together, informing Sully’s emotional growth while keeping Rufus independently well-rounded. Characters read white.

Quippy dialogue and a kinetic pace distinguish this uplifting novel.