Bad Queer

Kamalakanthan debuts with a scintillating verse novel that chronicles a nonbinary transgender teen’s journey toward publicly claiming their queer identity. Whenever they’re misgendered, Sri Lankan British 17-year-old Surya freezes, fearful of correcting the misunderstanding (“I don’t tell other people/ I’m not a girl/ It’s easier—and harder this way”). Though Surya’s cis female mum and genderfluid artist amma surround the teen with love at home, Surya longs to foster both platonic and romantic connections with others. When Surya joins an after-school theater program, they confront their fear of being perceived (“This one audition is a mini protest against all the times I’ve said nothing”) and experience their first crush. The more involved Surya becomes with the theater group, the harder it becomes for them to suppress their true self, despite the troupe’s sometimes transphobic rhetoric. Sedate pacing paired with intense lines that often land with the force of a gut punch (“These words are dead bodies,/ eventually rising/ to the surface./ A rotting loudness”). Nwosu’s captivating illustrations, peppered throughout, capture each instance of love and uncertainty in deceptively simple b&w line art. This poetic slice-of-life portrait is not to be missed. Ages 14–up. (June)