DIFFERENT FOR BOYS

Four friends grapple with their identities.

This is a brief story about [blank], [blanks], and [blanking]. In a bold move that may irritate censorious adults, Ness puts what readers can only imagine are all kinds of curse words, slurs, and descriptions of sexual acts behind black boxes in the text that, in a fourth wall–bending move, all the characters are aware of. Ant Stephenson and his friend Charlie Shepton have been experimenting sexually for a long time, under the guise of just needing some release because neither of them have girlfriends yet, but Ant finds himself wanting to kiss his friend, something that is definitely against the rules—after all, wouldn’t that mean they are gay? Meanwhile, when Mr. Bacon, their cool AP history teacher, reconfigures the classroom setup, seating Ant and Charlie together with genial football player Josh Smith and the boys’ former friend, Jack Taylor, now a drama kid, the foursome have to deal with the fact that Jack is obviously gay, threatening Ant and Charlie’s secret. Rough pencil sketches add to the heightened emotion, reflecting the jagged, difficult emotional realities of the apparently White boys who know that while queerness is technically OK, especially for certain girls and in more liberal cities, it’s as taboo as it’s ever been among the traditionally masculine boys of eastern Washington. The brevity of this story adds to its power, distilling the plot to its most necessary, brutal, loving elements.

[Blanking] masterful.