With an unapologetically forthright portrayal of this aggressively queer-unfriendly world and xenophobia's generational echoes in North America, Kim Fu stuns with her debut novel.

If one is (very fairly and understandably) looking for a more joyful story (along the lines of If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo), that is not this book

(though the ending is happy)

. If one can contend with the emotional challenges and portrayals of queerphobia, I highly recommend this novel. To me, it read as a trans, bildungsroman story prioritizing elucidation and a cogent appeal to compassion of cis readers. This entails certain pros and cons, of course, but I think it feels appropriate considering the author's individual standpoint.

Support a queer author and their incredible debut novel!

I almost couldn’t stomach the young boys’ recess-time play, the sheer physical violence of it—balking with thoughts like... do kids really play like that? 

I didn’t expect to face the terror of a narcissistic authoritarian father figure. Father’s role made all too real the then-later parallels drawn to a relentlessly paternalistic society.

Certainly not a volume that I could step into without a strong, healthful mind. Only in my rejuvenated, relaxed state could I step into Audrey’s world, witness her.