Take Me Home

Brown revisits the ladies of Belladonna Ink (last seen in Far from Home), the best tattoo parlor in San Sebastian, Calif., in this present-day Thanksgiving novella. It doesn’t deliver on the zany adventures its setup promises, but fans of dorky young lesbians, cute puppies, and queer chosen family will find the story relatable. Pink-haired tattooist Brooke places a Craigslist ad offering to pose as a fellow lesbian’s girlfriend in exchange for a free holiday dinner and the fun of shocking homophobic relatives; accountant Keighley, eager to annoy her born-again Christian aunt, takes her up on it. At Keighley’s mostly queer-friendly parents’ Thanksgiving, she and Brooke tweak her aunt by reciting a Unitarian Universalist grace and ask her mom to pack up some pie before absconding to Keighley’s apartment with her cousin’s abused puppy, planning to seek out veterinary care and enjoy a hot hookup. Brown perfectly portrays the flow of playful sex banter, making it clear that her protagonists are regular people who are really enjoying each other’s company. But plot is minimal after the initial connection, and the rest of the story is really just basic 20-something relationship negotiation—Keighley’s overattached, Brooke’s commitment-phobic—and once they open up to each other, they get over it. (Nov.)