Becoming a Queen
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- 10,99 €
Beschreibung des Verlags
A vibrant and emotional novel from debut author Dan Clay about a boy who turns toward love, self-expression, and drag when the unthinkable happens, perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson and Julie Murphy.
If only Mark Davis hadn’t put on a dress for the talent show. It was a joke—other guys did it too—but when his boyfriend saw Mark in that dress, everything changed.
And now, fresh on the heels of high school heartbreak, Mark has given up on love. Maybe some people are just too much for this world—too weird, too wild, too feminine, too everything. Thankfully, his older brother Eric always knows what to say to keep Mark from spinning into self-loathing. "Be yourself! Your full sequin-y self.”
But Mark starts to notice signs that his perfect older brother has problems of his own.
When the source of Mark’s strength suddenly becomes the source of his greatest pain, the path back to happiness seems impossible. Searching for a way out, Mark slips into a dress to just, briefly, become someone else, live a different life. His escape, however, becomes an unexpected outlet for his pain—a path to authentic connection, and a provocation to finally see other people as fully as he wants to be seen.
Beautifully written, heart-wrenching, and ultimately uplifting, Dan Clay's Becoming a Queen is a stunning story about love, loss, and the ineffable power of a purple princess dress.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A queer Annandale, Mich., teen navigating grief finds solace while performing in drag in this sensitive exploration of sexual identity, Clay's debut. Seventeen-year-old Mark Davis's parents often make him feel like he's a poor imitation of his high-achieving older brother, Eric, a first-year Northwestern student. Mark also feels like he's "too gay, too much" for his ex-boyfriend, who dumped Mark after he performed at a talent show in drag. When an incipient courtship with newcomer Ezra Ambrose seems to be going too well, Mark's constant self-doubt causes panic, and he ghosts Ezra. With Eric's encouragement that relationships should make you "wanna be more of yourself," Mark patches things up with Ezra. While the boys' fresh romance fills Mark with joy, he's distressed by Eric's frequent drinking and its tragic consequences. As Mark contends with intense feelings of listlessness, he also reckons with his reemerging insecurities about attending a winter dance in a dress. A mosaic of well-drawn characters, including endlessly supportive Eric, patient and compassionate Ezra, and vulnerable and creative Mark, people this realistically rendered telling about healing, loss, and self-acceptance. Major characters cue as white. Ages 12–up.
