Review: Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

Goodreads 

Summary

New York Times  bestselling author David Levithan tells the based-on-true-events story of Harry and Craig, two 17-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record—all of which is narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS. 

While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teen boys dealing with languishing long-term relationships, coming out, navigating gender identity, and falling deeper into the digital rabbit hole of gay hookup sites—all while the kissing former couple tries to figure out their own feelings for each other.

The way the words flowed in TWO BOYS KISSING blew my mind. With the utterly unique way of narration and the heartbreaking and heartwarming characters, Levithan etched a place in my heart for this flawless novel. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I can confidently say is will most definitely not be my last. Levithan’s talent for capturing the pureness and utter raw state of the human emotion was heartbreaking and perfect. In TWO BOYS KISSING he explored the uncertain path of ‘dreaming and loving and screwing’ and all the fear and triumph that comes along with it. 

As I have said, the way this books was narrated was so. freaking. amazing. Seriously people. It was told Greek Chorus style with gay men who have lost their life to AIDS. The way it was presented made this book. Their collective voice was beautiful. It made the novel fill up with their collective sigh of heartbreak and hope along with the pride in how far the current generations have come. The group is with the boys the entire ride; thy hold their breath and clasp their hands together and remember as they see the boys go through the trials they went through and it was beautiful. 

I’ll be honest, I was surprised by how much I adored this book. It was a confusing but surprisingly perfect and insanely flawed with its emerging of the five boys as they embrace, deny and are forced to live with the ridicule that comes with their sexuality. 

This books main event was two boys kissing. Their goal to beat the world record for longest kiss. We see their thoughts as they kiss, wondering about the impact, what they are and the struggles they’re facing. We also see the Blue Haired boy and the Pink Haired boy. (I love these guys. Hell. I love them all) As the Pink Haired boy struggles with his body and the Blue Haired boy struggles with the idiotic people who bully them because of who they love. Then we have the boy who can’t find the strength to hope. 

I am amazed by how Levithan constructed the perfection that is this novel without preaching about one way or another. This story, while is about gay teens seeking acceptance, hoping for the future, coming out to their family and feeling content in their own skin, it’s also about being okay with being you- gay or straight. He did all that while making the boys be more than a label and shed light to the less-accepting. He makes these boys real in a way that is so much more than words on paper. 

Sir, Mr. Levithan, you rock. Thanks for giving the LGBT teens, a people in general, a voice. 

What did y'all think? I think I was pretty clear with my who stand point on this matter. This book did something to me that very few book can do. And I adored it! What did y'all think of the way the story was told- the Greek Chorus? What did you think of the boys story? 

Did I convince you to read it?