Pulp

Gr 8 Up—Senior Abby returns from summer break in the hopes that the hiatus she and ex-girlfriend Linh took in the spring will end and they can be a couple again. That, combined with her parents' estrangement, prompt Abby to immerse herself in her senior year assignment: 1950s lesbian fiction. Abby discovers a book written by "Marian Love" that speaks to her conception of love. In alternating chapters, we meet the work's real author, Janet Jones, a recent graduate who herself has stumbled upon lesbian fiction validating her feelings for her friend Marie. But Marie works for the federal government in the midst of the Lavender Scare—an extension of the Red Scare that sought to root out LGBTQ employees—complicating their budding relationship. Abby's quest to find the author under the auspices of her assignment allows her to avoid confronting her changing relationship with Linh. Talley, already accomplished at weaving historical detail into engaging narratives, pulls off an expansive story encompassing a host of characters, including the fictional characters within Janet's books. She skillfully illustrates the fear and isolation of being a lesbian teen in unforgiving times, making the larger historical context relatable and the intimate aspects visceral. Her modern characters by contrast are out LGBTQ+ teens. Abby's sexuality is a given, she's free to live her relationships and explore her issues.