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Jun. 6th, 2015 10:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
skygiantsI generally really enjoy Alaya Dawn Johnson's books, but I'm a little unfairly annoyed at Love Is the Drug because --
Okay, so Bird, the protagonist of Love Is the Drug has two extremely important developing relationships throughout the story. One of them is with her Designated Love Interest, the eccentric genius drug dealer, and the other is with Marella, her out-and-proud lesbian classmate, whom she's finally developing a friendship with after pining from afar for lo these many years.
I'm sure you can all see where this is going, but round about page 193, Alaya Dawn Johnson's narrative voice and I got in a genuine fight.
ALAYA DAWN JOHNSON'S NARRATIVE VOICE: Bird has had a girl crush on Marella since they were ten.
BECCA: Look, I appreciate the gesture, and you know I've been invested in these two since page ten, but I'm already fully aware that that dude over there that I don't care about is the Designated Love Interest, so I gotta say, I'm a little nervous about where this is going --
ALAYA DAWN JOHNSON'S NARRATIVE VOICE: I think that Marella would probably go for it if Bird swung in that direction, but why ruin a great friendship with a mediocre affair?
BECCA: Alaya Dawn Johnson, did you really just "what's better than this, gals being pals" me? DID YOU REALLY JUST.
ALAYA DAWN JOHNSON'S NARRATIVE VOICE: They are neither of them material candidates for the loves of their respective lives.
BECCA: ...is this about The Summer Prince? Are you yelling at me for shipping the heroine more with her best female rival than with her designated male love interest? Is this personal? Because I have to say this feels kind of personal.
...I am aware that it is not, actually, personal, but I'm still kind of cranky that Alaya Dawn Johnson felt it necessary to pull over and stop the car just to announce I SEE YOU OUT THERE ROOTING FOR A LESBIAN ROMANCE, STOP THAT, STOP IT RIGHT NOW. Whatever, Alaya Dawn Johnson! I do what I want! You're not the boss of me!
Also, I am sorry, I tried hard to like Bird's dude love interest Coffee, I did, but you know what, I had an eccentric genius drug dealer in my class who stole chemicals from Orgo, and we got along fine and all but there is no romance in that for me. "I don't want to deal drugs to you, Bird, you're not the drug type! Unlike the actual kids that I actually deal to." CHARMING.
It's too bad, because so much of the book is built around the romance, but I quite liked the structure of the rest of it! It's the kind of thing I'd like to see more of, a very personal apocalypse -- the broader plot involves a massive pandemic flu and sinister governmental conspiracies, and, like, yes, there's an evil federal agent chasing Bird around, but really the story is about her relationship with her parents, and the expectations placed on her as a High Achieving Black Girl, and her growing network of allies who support her in her decisions to become the person she wants to be rather than the person her mother wants her to be. Bird's not leading a resistance or saving the world; she's saving herself, and that's important and okay. There's a Thanksgiving dinner scene that's just phenomenal, with Bird's chosen family, and her actual family, and the balancing act between them.
So I wish my main feelings upon finishing were not "UGH I DON'T CARE ABOUT COFFEE." He's not even terrible, as far as YA love interests go! He's perfectly fine, I'm just bitter.
Okay, so Bird, the protagonist of Love Is the Drug has two extremely important developing relationships throughout the story. One of them is with her Designated Love Interest, the eccentric genius drug dealer, and the other is with Marella, her out-and-proud lesbian classmate, whom she's finally developing a friendship with after pining from afar for lo these many years.
I'm sure you can all see where this is going, but round about page 193, Alaya Dawn Johnson's narrative voice and I got in a genuine fight.
ALAYA DAWN JOHNSON'S NARRATIVE VOICE: Bird has had a girl crush on Marella since they were ten.
BECCA: Look, I appreciate the gesture, and you know I've been invested in these two since page ten, but I'm already fully aware that that dude over there that I don't care about is the Designated Love Interest, so I gotta say, I'm a little nervous about where this is going --
ALAYA DAWN JOHNSON'S NARRATIVE VOICE: I think that Marella would probably go for it if Bird swung in that direction, but why ruin a great friendship with a mediocre affair?
BECCA: Alaya Dawn Johnson, did you really just "what's better than this, gals being pals" me? DID YOU REALLY JUST.
ALAYA DAWN JOHNSON'S NARRATIVE VOICE: They are neither of them material candidates for the loves of their respective lives.
BECCA: ...is this about The Summer Prince? Are you yelling at me for shipping the heroine more with her best female rival than with her designated male love interest? Is this personal? Because I have to say this feels kind of personal.
...I am aware that it is not, actually, personal, but I'm still kind of cranky that Alaya Dawn Johnson felt it necessary to pull over and stop the car just to announce I SEE YOU OUT THERE ROOTING FOR A LESBIAN ROMANCE, STOP THAT, STOP IT RIGHT NOW. Whatever, Alaya Dawn Johnson! I do what I want! You're not the boss of me!
Also, I am sorry, I tried hard to like Bird's dude love interest Coffee, I did, but you know what, I had an eccentric genius drug dealer in my class who stole chemicals from Orgo, and we got along fine and all but there is no romance in that for me. "I don't want to deal drugs to you, Bird, you're not the drug type! Unlike the actual kids that I actually deal to." CHARMING.
It's too bad, because so much of the book is built around the romance, but I quite liked the structure of the rest of it! It's the kind of thing I'd like to see more of, a very personal apocalypse -- the broader plot involves a massive pandemic flu and sinister governmental conspiracies, and, like, yes, there's an evil federal agent chasing Bird around, but really the story is about her relationship with her parents, and the expectations placed on her as a High Achieving Black Girl, and her growing network of allies who support her in her decisions to become the person she wants to be rather than the person her mother wants her to be. Bird's not leading a resistance or saving the world; she's saving herself, and that's important and okay. There's a Thanksgiving dinner scene that's just phenomenal, with Bird's chosen family, and her actual family, and the balancing act between them.
So I wish my main feelings upon finishing were not "UGH I DON'T CARE ABOUT COFFEE." He's not even terrible, as far as YA love interests go! He's perfectly fine, I'm just bitter.
