pedestrienne

Teen Me gives it 4.5 stars. Adult me more like 3. I appreciate how much Charlie cries! I didn't realize it as a teen. I was swept up in the story about finding friends who are like family. I felt like his voice was very naive to the point where it didn't square with him being sexual or people considering him a sexual being. Because of the format there's no way for us to see Charlie from outside of himself. The child abuse aspect is written in so obliquely that it's possible to read and not think of that as a major plot point, and it seems intentional? It's a story about Charlie opening up to himself. And that includes dealing with heavy trauma, but also finding out that you love your family and you can be resilient.