Justine by Forsyth Harmon

An "LGBTQ Book That Will Change The Literary Landscape in 2021" —O, The Oprah Magazine "Piercing. It shook me, and it made me see.” —Victor LaValle Summer 1999. Long Island, New York. Bored, restless, and lonely, Ali never expected her life would change as dramatically as it did the day she walked into the local Stop & Shop. But she’s never met anyone like Justine, the store’s cashier. Justine is so tall and thin she looks almost two-dimensional, and there’s a dazzling mischief in her wide smile. “Her smile lit me up and exposed me all at once,” Ali admits. “Justine was the light shining on me and the dark shadow it cast, and I wanted to stand there forever in the relief of that contrast.” Ali applies for a job on the spot, securing a place for herself in Justine’s glittering vicinity. As Justine takes Ali under her wing, Ali learns how best to bag groceries, what foods to eat (and not to eat), how to shoplift, who to admire, and who she can become outside of her cold home, where her inattentive grandmother hardly notices the changes in her. Ali becomes more and more fixated on Justine, reshaping herself in her new idol’s image, leading to a series of events that spiral from superficial to seismic. Justine, Forsyth Harmon’s illustrated debut, is an intimate and unflinching portrait of American girlhood at the edge of adulthood—one in which obsession hastens heartbreak.

wish it was longer !!! liked this tho

This book was a wild and terrible ride that I couldn't put down. It transported me to the 90s for a true taste of that decade - the highs and the lows and the stuff that just... happens. The whirlwind of being a teen, getting caught up in an idealised version of someone, not knowing what you want, not knowing if you should know, and life that keeps spinning around you no matter what you do.

I don't know how to accurately describe this book. It made me nostalgic for my teen years and also so glad I'm not in them anymore. It's written casually, almost flippant, of the things that happen to and around the MC. It's left me with a feeling of sadness from the abrupt end and in some way that's part of its genius. The author doesn't waffle, doesn't get bogged down in details, doesn't overstay their welcome in any part of the book. Hell, you barely get your foot in the door before you are whisked away again.

I don't know if I recommend this one. I love it and dislike it all at once. The pacing and tone sell it, the finality of turning that last page is what has made me dislike it. I say that and yet I'm not sure if I would have wanted anything more from the book. It's beautiful in the harsh light it shines on the characters, the situations they are in, and the casualness of living a young life one experience at a time.

I guess all I can say is I enjoyed the ride the book took me on but, like any rollercoaster, it left me feeling a bit sick at the end. That's an endorsement, by the way.

CWs below for potential readers
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CW for eating disorders, focus on weight loss, pet death, human death, drug use, alcohol use