I literally have to review this book, as it quickly became one of my favorite ever reads. I’ve been procrastinating doing it, because I’m not sure if I can find enough things I didn’t like for it to be considered critical or unbiased. But here I go, because I want to recommend it to the whole world.
For starters, as a trans latine person, I felt like this book got me, that it understood me, which is probably due to the fact that Aiden Thomas, the author of this book, is trans and latinx as well. The only criticism that occurs to me at that moment is the use of the letter ‘x’ as a neutral form (as in ‘brujx’ and ‘latinx’). You may find a good explanation about this topic here. Except that, I feel like I loved everything about this book, so I shall ramble about it in parts:
The protagonist. Yadriel is a great main character. The struggles he goes through, from the lack of his family’s acceptance of his identity as a transgender man to his grieving process of his mother’s death, it was all beautifully worded. It’s also very clear that, while his trans identity isn’t his whole personality, it affects most, if not all, aspects in his life, which is something I truly relate to. He suffers for his mother’s death, which also involves her being one of the very few people who supported him, for example.
Trans representation. Of course, that’s kind of included in the first item already, but this aspect deserves a paragraph dedicated to it. As a trans person (not a trans binary man like Yadriel, but still), I felt seen. It was so on point the way his family “accepts” him: they call him Yadriel, they use the correct pronouns, and the pressure we feel to feel grateful for the bare minimum is very explicitly shown in the narrative, as it’s also portrayed the way their support isn’t total: when it comes to it, they still don’t consider Yadriel enough of a boy to play the male roles in the religious traditions, his father lets out a heated comment about Yadriel having to stay with “the rest of the women”, and Lita, his grandmother, says lovingly to him that he’ll always be her little girl, not even realising how hurtful that was. Reading all these things was a torturous experience, because I felt like it was with me, because it was plausible for it to actually happen to me, when it hadn’t already. Yadriel’s feelings are so relatable to me, and I’m sure that to many trans people too, and at some point, Julian says that, while Yadriel forgave his family, it didn’t mean he had to as well, and this literally made me cry. I thought about being aggressively cared for to that extent, and I felt it. At that moment, I lived that, and I can’t thank Aiden Thomas enough for that, not in this lifetime.
The plot. Where to even start? The plot is so well constructed: it’s mysterious in all the right ways and it portrays oppression in a way that’s so heavy, that it feels like putting your hand over burning heat, but then it comforts you; it gives you hope. Besides, the oppression isn’t just there for some kind of creepy pain porn (which usually happens when the author suffers that kind of oppression themself): it’s carefully interlaced with the plot, as something complex that everyone experiences and reacts to differently, in a unique way.
Julian Diaz. “Cemetery Boys” has the privilege of being the only book in the whole world to have Julian Diaz. I adore him. As Yadriel very accurately said, “none of them deserved Julian Diaz”: the way he cares and loves is so loud and intense that your heart aches just like his own does. He’s bright and easily compared to the sun, energetic and excited about everything. He’s complex, having secrets, pains and traumas, a character you don’t fully know or understand right away, but you love him right away. Julian can also be described as part of the misunderstood character trope and you want to punch people for seeing him as such an asshole, when literally all he does is for others. Julian gives, gives and gives without never expecting anything back, as Yadriel commented at some point in the book.
The villain. Okay, I may not be able to talk too much about this one, because unlike the others, it’s a major spoiler and I can assure you that letting the book reveal its secrets to you is better than me telling you about it, that much I can promise. But what I can tell you is, it’s so good. It’s very well constructed and built up, and when it’s explained to you, it just makes sense.
Now, let’s dig into the last considerations: there are many details in the book that become important later and when you find them out, you try to get everything, pay attention to everything, let it all in (well, at least I did). And while you do that, even if some of the details you didn’t focus on don’t become important for the narrative, they’re things you enjoyed reading, things that make you fall deeper in love with that specific aspect of the book, be it the characters, the relationships or the world building.
And, if you’re into tropes like ‘be gay, do crimes’ and found family, you have even more to get with this read.
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