Scout451's Reviews > Hold
Hold
by
by
Most people who know me know that YA literature, especially LGBT YA literature, is totally my jam. I’ve read a lot. A LOT. I’m guilty of neglecting to write many reviews for what I read for pleasure, because of time restraints and because I do a fair amount of writing about books in my day job. But this book! From the moment I first heard about it quite a while ago, I knew it was going to strike a chord with me. What’s not to love about queer high school kids who love theatre and Star Wars, right?
Rachel Davidson Leigh is a writer who has an extraordinary ability to weave words into sentences that are sometimes magical, sometimes witty, and always engaging. When reading her writing, I very often find myself in awe simply of the way she uses words, as though her writing language is completely new to me.
Hold is a novel that explores themes of self-discovery, grieving, racism, and teenage romance, with a couple of chapters that had me on the actual edge of my seat. I tend to include an often lengthy plot summary in my reviews, but I actually think I’m going to skip that this time around. This novel hits several genres including romance and both realistic fiction and fantasy – you could call it magical realism – and absolutely has a very engaging plot, but for me the strength of this story is in its characterization. All four main characters, primarily Luke but also Eddie, Marcos, and Dee, experience such incredible and realistic character growth all throughout the novel. Never is it contrived, and never is it typical – instead, each character stays true to their own individual realities and struggles. As well, while the story definitely contains angst, the focus is not on the problems of coming out.
Another aspect of this novel that really sets it apart from others in YA literature is its ability to represent many cultures, many sexualities, many truths, and stages of self-awareness. It never, ever feels like the author is trying to hit some sort of benchmark by including several different minority groups in her story. I’ve read books by authors who have done this, and this is definitely not one of them. Each character, each person’s identity, experiences, and background, is completely authentic. This, combined with Rachel’s incredible talent at wordsmithing and phrasing, makes this novel absolutely beautiful and so, so relevant.
Rachel Davidson Leigh is a writer who has an extraordinary ability to weave words into sentences that are sometimes magical, sometimes witty, and always engaging. When reading her writing, I very often find myself in awe simply of the way she uses words, as though her writing language is completely new to me.
Hold is a novel that explores themes of self-discovery, grieving, racism, and teenage romance, with a couple of chapters that had me on the actual edge of my seat. I tend to include an often lengthy plot summary in my reviews, but I actually think I’m going to skip that this time around. This novel hits several genres including romance and both realistic fiction and fantasy – you could call it magical realism – and absolutely has a very engaging plot, but for me the strength of this story is in its characterization. All four main characters, primarily Luke but also Eddie, Marcos, and Dee, experience such incredible and realistic character growth all throughout the novel. Never is it contrived, and never is it typical – instead, each character stays true to their own individual realities and struggles. As well, while the story definitely contains angst, the focus is not on the problems of coming out.
Another aspect of this novel that really sets it apart from others in YA literature is its ability to represent many cultures, many sexualities, many truths, and stages of self-awareness. It never, ever feels like the author is trying to hit some sort of benchmark by including several different minority groups in her story. I’ve read books by authors who have done this, and this is definitely not one of them. Each character, each person’s identity, experiences, and background, is completely authentic. This, combined with Rachel’s incredible talent at wordsmithing and phrasing, makes this novel absolutely beautiful and so, so relevant.
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
Hold.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
Started Reading
October 1, 2016
–
Finished Reading
October 24, 2016
– Shelved