This book ripped out my heart, stomped on it, and then threw it in the trash. And I loved every second of it.
12 year old King has recently lost his older brother Khalid and he and his family are struggling to deal with the aftermath. King is also dealing with another struggle, he likes other boys. And it wouldn’t be such a struggle, except one of the last things Khalid told King before he died was to stay away from his friend Sandy, who was clearly gay, telling him “you don’t want everyone to think you’re gay too, do you?”
King visits his brother every day he can, in the bayou, because he believes Khalid has been turned into one of the dragonflies they so often used to visit together.
Trying to come to terms with his sexuality and his brother’s death, King does his best to make amends with Sandy, someone he misses dearly. He does so and for a while things start to look ok again. Until Sandy runs away.
King desperately looks for him until he finds him in the worst place possible, King’s own backyard hideout. The son of an abusive, homophobic, racist police officer hiding in the backyard of black boy.
Not good.
King can’t tell his parents, so he gives Sandy food and shelter for as long as he can before hiding him in a shack along the bayou. Here the boys fully mend their friendship, possibly forming it into something more. Things are great, until Sandy’s father finds him again.
After rumors get out at school about King being gay, he is forced to confirm to his parents that yes, he likes boys. His parents’ reaction is less than stellar.
With an invitation from Sandy to run away together during Mardi Gra, King is tempted to take him up on it.
But he can’t leave his family. Not after a loving talk from his aunt and a promise of eventual acceptance.
He tells his parents of Sandy’s plan to run away and his father’s abuse, even though he knows Sandy will never forgive him.
The ending scene of King’s dad giving him a hug before school and telling him that he loved him made me bawl my eyes out. This poor kid is so sweet throughout the whole book and just wants to be accepted and have his brother back. I’ve never wanted to hug a main character more. 5/5
