Odd One Out. Nic Stone. 2018. Crown Books for Young Readers. 320 pages. [Source: Public library.]
I intentionally started Nic Stone’s latest without reading about it. I didn’t read reviews, I didn’t even read the synopsis on the jacket. Like Angie Thomas, she is an author whose books I will read without a prior question. I am grateful I came into this book with no preconcieved notions, no expectations for content, no “clues” about the characters and the story ahead of them. It made reading Odd One Out that much more of an experience of openness that I relished.
Odd One Out is, on its surface, a story of three teen friends. Courtney is a star basketball player who joined the cheerleading team in the off-season. His best-friend, Jupiter, is his self-assured next-door neighbor. Their friendship extends beyond themselves, and is a kinship shared by Courtney’s widowed mother and Jupiter’s gay fathers. Rae, a newcomer to their town and the daughter of his mom’s coworker, finds an immediate connection with Jupiter, much to Courtney’s chagrin.
The story, however, is about much more than new and old friendships. Through the trio, Stone explores how youth grapple with understanding their sexual identities and manage both platonic and romantic relationships. Moreover, it puts a critical lens on the environment in which they come to terms with this. Odd One Out isn’t just about the friend zone or unrequited love. It’s about coming to terms with who you are and how authentically you can be in your environment. That’s not easy for adults, and this book, with painstaking honesty, highlights how it’s absolutely not easy for teens.
While reading this book, I felt some of the angst I remembered from middle and high school crop back up in a visceral way. The complications of attraction and friendship are REAL, and Stone presented them here with humor and authenticity. I was more impressed, however, at Stone’s ability to articulate the nuances of sexual identity without always naming it as such. More than just allowing the teens to come to terms with their shifting relationships, Stone weaves in social commentary about how those who question their sexuality are treated, and how those who identify as LGBTQ are questioned for their identity.
Without question, I recommend Odd One Out. I think it’s an apt story to share with teen readers who may not have it all figured out with regards to love, attraction, sexuality, and the like. It’s certainly on my list of “to read’ for my own child as she ages.
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