Harper Teen
May 31, 2016
320 pages
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When Frannie Little eavesdrops on her parents fighting she discovers that her cousin Truman is gay, and his parents are so upset they are sending him to live with her family for the summer. At least, that’s what she thinks the story is. . . When he arrives, shy Frannie befriends this older boy, who is everything that she’s not–rich, confident, cynical, sophisticated. Together, they embark on a magical summer marked by slowly unraveling secrets.
Frannie gives us an idea of what we're - and she - are in for before we even meet Tru, before she sees him again, "Tru was bad, but people liked him."
Frannie has plans for Tru's summer stay with her family: he's going to save her summer, make it interesting and fun. It won't matter that she's starting a new school, where she knows no one, in the fall, that she and her three best friends are no longer friends.
As Frannie agrees to things and goes along with things, she realizes Tru is not who she made him out to be in her imagination or even who he seemed. But, maybe, Frannie isn't that same Frannie from the beginning of the summer, either.
The way we learn more about Frannie (and she learns about herself) as we also uncover some of the truths about Tru works really well. We know from the start that he's not everything he seems or everything Frannie wants, but all of the hows and whys and whats are not immediately clear.
Frannie and Tru deals with issues around race, religion, sexuality and money. They're so much a part of the characters' stories, though, such a true reflection of this time in their lives, who they are, where they live, that they're not 'issues' but facets of the characters.
Tru may not be who Frannie thought he was but his presence over the summer is still important to her and who she is. His visit does make for a remarkable summer, even if it's not how she expected.
received for review, from publisher, via Edelweiss
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