James Sie

I’m going to apologize in advance, because it will be a full on miracle if this review turns out to be anything else but a babbling mess. I only just turned the last page of All Kinds of Other, and I am full of so many emotions that it feels as if there is no more space in my brain for anything else today. All I know is that I want to shove a copy of this story into as many hands as possible, and hover uncomfortably over them until they finish reading. Perhaps occasionally throwing in a “RIGHT?” now and then as they hopefully come to the same revelations that I did. It has been such a long time since a book made me feel this way.

I have been separated from the world of new release books for a fair amount of time, so this is the first time that I have discovered a story featuring a relationship between a cis and a trans boy. However I can say for certain that James Sie handles this with the utmost love, and respect. Jules and Jack are two very different people, with two very different life experiences. Although they both fall into the same ever-widening umbrella of the LGBTQ+ community, there is never a push to make it feel as though that is the one thing that defines them. Sie writes characters that have such depth. They are real people, real teens, struggling to navigate in a world that is ever changing in the way that it handles acceptance and allyship. There are parts of this story that might be hard for some people to read, because of triggers like transphobic violence, outing, and misgendering. I will warn of that ahead of time. Still, I think it’s important to remember that these are all very real things that are faced daily by so many people.

What really hit me hard was the vast divide between how Jules and Jack were accepted, by literally everyone they met. It never occurred to me that transphobia existed even in the “safe” spaces. I don’t want to spoil anything big, but one of my favorite parts of this novel was when the GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) realized that they weren’t actually being inclusive. That by the very name of the club they were choosing to invalidate those that did not fall on that very small spectrum. By this point in the story there had been multiple examples where Jack was alienated simply because he didn’t fall in that neat little set of boxes. These few paragraphs just really ran that home for me though. No wonder Jack was trying to fly under the radar. How hard it must be to be yourself, when who you are is only accepted in pieces.

Ah, I could talk about this book for ages. In fact, if anyone wants to have a discussion about this after you read my review and this book, please let me know. This is such an excellent story, that I truly feels need to be read by the masses. There are some parts that are tough, and those that are dark. There are missteps by adults, hurtful things said by loved ones, and the kind of pain that can only be understood by those who are trying to carve out a big enough space for themselves in world that wants to keep them small. There are also bright spots. Words of encouragement and love, true gestures, and the kind of relationship that comes from truly finding what it is that you want. That’s what life is though, isn’t it? A little messy. A little beautiful. All part of the process.

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Still Life Las Vegas by James Sie is a young adult novel that is unique and intriguing. Written from multiple points of view, the story goes back and forth in time and details the somewhat tragic life of the Stahl family but it mainly focuses on seventeen year old Walter. Interspersed with beautifully rendered illustrations by Sungyoon Choi, some parts of the story are told in graphic novel format while some of drawings are from Walter's sketchbook.

Walter lives in a seedy part of Las Vegas with his father Owen who suffers from debilitating bouts of depression. Walter keenly feels the loss of his mother, Emily, who abandoned the family when he was five years old. He works in a tourist attraction where he searches the faces of the visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of his mom. He leads a rather lonely life until he befriends living statues Chrysto and his sister Acacia. This acquaintance becomes a time of discovery for Walter as his friendship with Chrysto takes a surprising turn while an unanticipated visit brings him unexpected news about his mom.

Forced to grow up too soon, Walter is extremely mature for his age. He often finds himself in the role of caregiver for Owen and he is responsible for most of the household chores and managing their meager finances. Although he has no memories of his mother, Walter finds himself looking for her in the faces of the tourists he meets. However, she is relegated to the back of his mind after he becomes enthralled with Chrysto. This friendship opens Walter to new experiences and also provides him with startling insight about himself. Shocking news about his mom coincides with a betrayal and sends Walter into a downward spiral.

The chapters in the novel alternate between Walter, Owen and Emily's points of view. Walter's chapters take place when he seventeen while Owen and Emily's jump around to different time periods in their lives. Emily's perspective includes pivotal information about her childhood while Owen's detail the early years of his romance with Emily and their marriage. There are also chapters detailing Emily's life after she abandons the family and her experiences reach nearly mythical proportions by the novel's conclusion.

The coming of age aspect of the storyline, Walter's personal awakening and learning the series of events that led to Emily's abandonment are quite fascinating but the overall execution of the novel is disjointed and difficult to follow. Although the perspective changes are clearly marked, the time periods are fluid and some of the chapters end rather abruptly. The graphic novel sections are interesting but if you are not a reader of graphic novels, this switch from prose can be annoying. (I personally found the longer segments with the graphic elements frustrating since they contained vital information about the unfolding story.)

Although the plot is a little busy, Still Life Las Vegas is a poignant and engrossing novel coming of age novel. The characters are well-developed, the storyline is quite distinctive and the illustrations are absolutely beautiful. The Las Vegas setting is the perfect backdrop for the unfolding story and James Sie brings the city vibrantly to life. Unexpected plot twists keep the novel moving at a brisk pace and the conclusion is realistic and mostly satisfying.
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