Hello and welcome to Big Gay energy.
I'm Bree. I'm Fiora and I'm Caitlin come
along with us while we dive into the fun and nuances of queer
media representation matters. And we're here to talk about it.
Welcome back, everyone. It is that time of the month.
It is book club with an overall, your braids way and get them out
of the gutter. Because today, we're gonna talk
about the awesome book, honey, Girl by Morgan Rogers, and it's
quite the thrill. But before we get into that, we
have some lovely supporters to recognize Yes we do.
So we have some patreon supporters and someone who
donates monthly on anchor. So our December patreon
supporters are Sandy CC Haley, Freda Lorena, Sawyer and
Sapphire l. And anchor is Kathleen.
Yes, very exciting. Now, we will we have another
month because we had to skip a month for book club.
We sure. So January.
January we are supporters are each owl, Frida Sapphire L,
Loreena, Sawyer and Sandy and Kathleen.
Thank you guys. You're all amazing and you allow
us to do even more and we're going to grow so much and then
we're going to put on like huge events and then save bookstores
and save the world. We're all done.
We're very sure. Whoo.
Thank you. So thanks for your support is
going, can I have more coffee before we do that?
Yeah, yeah. We're gonna, we're gonna open a
big gate energy, coffee shop. Oh, we should so do that.
Lord, you heard it here first, folks, it's because of your
lovely support. Sweet.
Lesbian trees. I mean that's just Club it makes
sense. Right?
And energy like that you're right, crystal crystal crystal
wants to get into honey, girl. So let's get into honey girl.
So what is Honey girl? Well, according to the back of
the book, Actually, this is a bad time, I can transition into
this. So I'm just going to read it
with her newly. Completed PhD, in astronomy in
hand Grace, Porter, goes on a girls trip to Vegas to
celebrate. She's a straight-A hard-working
High achiever. She is not the kind of person
who goes to Vegas and gets drunk.
Only married to a woman whose name, she doesn't know until she
does exactly that. This one, beautiful, spontaneous
moment upends, Grace's carefully laid life plans.
Staggering under the weight of her parents expectation, a
struggling job market and feelings of burnout gracefully'.
Her home in Portland for a summer in New York with the
wife. She barely knows in New York.
She's able to ignore all the constant questions about her
future and Falls hard for her creative and gorgeous way Yuki
Yamamoto. But when reality comes crashing
in Greece must face. What she's been running from All
Along The Fears, that make us human and the need for
connection, especially when navigating the messiness of
adulthood I love this one. I have two comments.
Oh, sure. 13. Or should do an audio book to
all of, that's on the back of the book.
Yes, it has. It sure is.
I am. All right, I have a comment as
well. All right, I read the synopsis
that you just gave us and I was like, hmm.
Well, Well. You know I I could like this, oh
you know it's book club so I have to read it and then when I
did read it it turned out to be my new favorite book ever in the
world and I want to hug Morgan Rogers for riding it.
It's, she likes that kind of thing.
Fun fact Bree has been like, I can't wait to talk about the so
I can we talk about the book now?
Can we did? We did this a week early?
Okay. From our normal recording, the
anticipation, guys, look is so freaking good.
It's really good. Morgan.
Come talk to us, please. Yes, please.
I need to pick your brain. This was her breakout novel to
just FYI and it's a very powerful incredible.
Like first, like big, mainstream novel.
Yes. All the credit for writing this
wonderful. Wonderful book.
If you've ever felt lonely in your life, you will find
something so beautiful in this book.
Yeah. If you're in your 20s and 30s in
this economy, you will relate with this book just Pirates
talking about it. Alright, if you are a person of
color you will exist person the representations weird person of
color, it's off the charts. So let's dive into the
characters, the cast of characters.
This book. So first up, we have dr.
Grace Porter. She is our protagonist.
The book is written from her point of view.
She is a biracial, 28 year old lesbian.
And as the synopsis said, she at the point where we meet her in
the book, she just achieved her PhD in astronomy and now after
attaining that she's looking for her first, big job and finding
out her life, is not exactly what she planned it to be and
that's Grace in a nutshell. Oh, and she just goes on a
journey after that for the rest of the book.
Carolyn Sharone. All right next up is Colonel and
Sharone. So Grace's father is Colonel
Porter will get into all that later and Sharone is her
stepmother. Then we have the wifey Yuki, I'm
a moto. So, she's Greece's love interest
that they drunkenly. Get married in Las Vegas as the
synopsis said, and she lives in New York City.
We have parisa's best friends which are Agnes and you Menna
who pop up throughout the book, then we have Greece, has found
family, which is an actual family.
So Mira and Raj, who are brother and sister, and their father,
Baba vahan, And Grace also works at their tea, shop in Portland.
We also have another found family, which is Yuki's
roommates in New York city. So that's Saint Sonny Dorian and
Fletcher. And lastly we have Grace's
mother and her boyfriend / fiance so Mel and Kelly and
those are the main characters really in this book.
So they all really center around Grace and people she either knew
her whole life found when she was in Portland or a finds
through Yuki and they all kind of inter connect through Greece
Dorian, not to be confused with durian, he's not a, he's not a
fruit. Shoot in Asia.
No. Dorian like the painting.
That's a painting of Dorian Gray.
It's a double. There is a painting spoiler and
wild wild also great career author.
Oscar. Why is it really?
Yes. Yeah.
Didn't really Essex? Yeah wait.
I think it going any comments about any of the characters.
You want to dive into the questions?
I love them all. I cannot I just love them all.
Can I can I just have coffee with all of them separately or
tea at the Pearl Pearl and I go, yeah, I want to go to the
clothes shop sandwiches. I thought you were going to say
something about the characters and she's like,
yeah hell yeah. I loved the contrast with
Grayson Yugi. As far as.
So you got Grace he's just got her PhD and is trying to Get
into the best job in the best, you know, just the balcony, the
best period. It doesn't matter what it is.
Yeah. It has to be the best but then
you've got Yuki who's a waitress and has a radio show and she
doesn't really she's fine with that.
Like that's just her life, you know?
Yeah. Yuki's like aside from like the
loneliness aspect that will dive into she's happy.
She's happy with her life because she's Gets to do what
she loves, which is the radio show, and then she has her like
she's surrounded by her friends, who are her family.
So, like, she's like, I'm happy. Like, you know, and Grace
doesn't really know what happiness is, which is part of
the problem. Happiness was is Dad the
Colonel's approval and that's where this whole spiraling From
Grace comes from. And then I've been texting her
to see What does it register on her radar?
Yeah, happiness, like something. Just for her happiness is part
of her self discovery in the, in the book.
Yeah. I like Agnes and Ximena.
Yes, I used to hear cool. Yeah, I like that even though
Agnes had like a lot of issues mentally and stuff that they
still like loved her and wanted her to be around them.
I just yeah. That's hard.
A lot of times it's important for people to just two people
for people to accept the stigma of mental illness.
Yeah, it's like if you have a mental illness, a lot of times
other people think you're too much to be around.
And if you have people that actually support you and help
you get through it, and you can actually have a better life Like
you two with me. We offer.
Oh I think we're all. Okay, I'll cut it now, we're
stuck together. You marry one of us?
You marry all of us. Oh, I will.
I'm trying to find something. We can cut this out.
First met basically, like the glue of their whole family,
their little group is really Humana and she had this line in
there in the book where she's describing.
There's a whole chapter about like how Grace met, you meta
because you Mana is basically like a sitter at a hospital and
she like there's not a nurse I don't even know if it's like a
nurse's aide but basically like she sits with people who are
like kind of stuck in the hospital so they give them
company so they don't get depressed because honestly be A
patient in a hospital sometimes where you're just like waiting
for something to like get out of there.
When you're otherwise stable and okay, it can cause like
depression and stuff because you're like trapped in the
hospital. So she's a type of person that
sits with patients to like, provide them comfort and like,
he's accompanying. Yeah, like a companion.
Exactly, exactly. And so she was the Colonel's
companion. That's how Grace kind of met
her, and then they become roommates.
And then the day she met Agnes is an interesting day.
So she got a human. I got assigned to a Awkward the
psych unit or whatever in the hospital and basically was
talking about Agnes. And the way she described her to
Grace, it was kind of like she said, something like, when I met
her it's the same feeling I had when I met you.
Like I felt like that person's mind.
Like she like you minute describes it as like I had this
instant kind of connection with Agnes and Grace like immediately
and like so she's like I'm not going to give up on her even
though like Like you said, like there's a stigma with like the
mental illness and like she seems like she's in abrasive
person. Like you kind of get that she's
very blunt, she has what emotional walls up.
But you meant to somebody who's like, know, there's something
here, we have a connection, I feel it.
I'm not going to give up on you, and that's like the core of who
you meant, it is. And that's a very like important
character in a friend group to have that kind of person who's
very, like the glue. She's like, the mom to like, we
got like a fierce mom. Who's like, not gonna let
anybody hurt her? Like, Bees and stuff.
But yeah, that's so I love that that like she even explode.
That's explained in the book. Kind of like, how you met a
views Agnes? Because it's not what you
normally hear as a narrative with a character like Agnes.
Yeah, exactly. I really liked it.
Yeah, it's great. I also really loved rajas.
I love Raj and the way that he and Grace had that conversation
later in the book. I thought was like a super
important about the Tea Room and yeah, yeah.
Yeah, she's just like he's taking one for the team big
time. yeah, I mean dedicating to his life to something to make
his family happy and he knows he's going to be miserable.
I feel like sooner or later that's going to come back like
yeah, but not in the book. Maybe another one honey.
Your girl or You know, you never know that write a book about
Sonny. I'm saying, Alright, okay, so
let's jump into, I have a couple questions for you guys, so that
our listeners have home. Can I get a little deeper into
this book? So, first question, what is your
assessment of Grace's life? Not panning out according to her
big perfect plan. It was bound to happen.
I agree, it was inevitable. The plan was supposed to work
and it didn't and that was the only thing that she had been
working towards for many, many years.
And now she's at a point where she has no idea how to move
forward and she's lost. So I mean, it's like, she's when
everyone tells her including the colonel That it's going to be
hard to make her make a place for herself as a woman and color
in astronomy. And she knows that but the
reality of it is so much more is so much different than knowing
so you can know something going into it.
But once you get there and the reality hits you and people are
saying things to you, that are very stupid racist bullshit.
That kind of stuff. It hits you.
It has to hit you and you're like, okay, well I didn't know
how this was actually going to affect me because you don't, you
don't know how things are going to affect you until you're in
the moment. So, I really feel for Grace
because she was basically driven in this direction by the kernel
and took on that part of his personality for her own.
So it made it made her lose part of her.
A identity in the process. And so she's going in this
direction without her true self at the center.
And so she's obviously going to come to a spot where things
don't work out and everything spins out of control and I think
that's what the book is. And that is beautiful because
that happens to everyone in some way shape or form.
You get to a point where you have to figure out what your
actual identity is. Well, the and that's what was
beautiful. The colonel was pushing her with
one plan. She was always working for one
thing. One thing only, she didn't see
anything else. So anything that changes She's
not going to handle that. Well, so that's basically
everything was changing because she didn't get the job that she
was trained for basically, like it was lined up, and Her
personal life also just changed because she got married
randomly, so she just spiraled. Because there's just too much.
Yeah. I'm going to read a quote from
the book that I think falls into this really really, really well
about this hole. Journey.
It's in the beginning of chapter 7 if to those so inclined.
The younger grease, Porter tilted, her head up up there.
You see where the stars drew a path and the comet fire lit.
The way that was where she found her purpose.
She fell in love with the Stars and she was going to follow
where they LED now. She's 28 years old and she's
reached the Comets end. There is just Grace with a peep
of piece of paper to prove her academic Merit and uncertainty
eating at her insides like a black hole.
No one told her astronomers, the ones that published research
every few months and get tenured at universities and navigate
programs at Nasa. That those astronomers didn't
have sungold hair. They don't have Sun brown skin.
Those astronomers don't have ancestors that looked at the
stars as a means of escape and not in awe.
What's important about this plan to is that?
Yeah, it was the Colonel's plan but it really wasn't.
He wanted her to go to med school and Greece was inserting
her personality into the plan by saying, no, I want to go after
astronomy because like I love it, it's my passion, but it's a
passion that kind of fits the Colonel's plan where she's like,
well, I'll just get a doctorate in this versus a medical doctor
it. Because, like, that way, I'm
achieving the highest level of Academia and in your plan.
An that's being the best. At what I I'm your Technically
when you reach a doctor at you're an expert in your field.
So like that's the highest achievement, you can get
academically. So Grace is like yeah I'm gonna
do your plan but I'm going to do my version of the plan.
So like is a tiny little Rebellion From Grace. and then
when we meet her, I like to call the point of this, this book,
the millennial quarter life crisis, Because this happened to
me where it's like, I'm almost 30 and my life is not what I
thought it was going to be. And Grace is whole thing was
like, I followed the plan, like I achieved every single thing
that was on the plan. And then the next step is to
just get the job and the jobs that she's describing is like
again, like Elite jobs, being somebody who's a tenured
academic, like, there's like a handful of people that achieve
that working at Nasa. A handful of people achieve
that. So like she's not just going
after a job in her field, she's trying to go After like the
highest possible job in her field.
So like she's setting her expectations extremely high
because that's what her father told her successes.
And success is how she gets affection from him.
So it's like, toxic tethering of like you get love for me.
When you achieve things, I want you to achieve kind of stuff and
so like she's setting herself up for failure by like right out of
school, trying to get like the highest level job possible.
And then when she Goes to the interview.
It's this reality thing of just like, nobody even looks like me
here. They're looking at me weird.
They're grilling me more than they normally would Grill.
So she gets the sense that like, I don't belong here and they're
looking for any excuse, not to let me in there, like, in their
Circle because it's a small group of people at the end of
the day. And so, with that Grace is like,
I don't know what to do, because my plan was to achieve this and
now, like, there's do I even belong here?
Do I even want this? So, like, Like you said, Bray
like it's one thing to like have a plant.
Like I went through this too. When I was graduating college
like I had a plan for what I was going to do and then I started
working in the field and I was like I hate this I don't know
that. I want to dedicate four years of
grad school to like achieve this thing.
I don't even think I belong here.
So then you have to figure out well now why I who am I?
What do I want? And what grix wants was never
something. She was allowed to have.
It was always like how do I make my dad happy?
So Grace has to spiral with what do I do next?
And like do I try to get back on this plan?
My dad wanted for me or do I like Forge my own path and like,
what does that even look like? yeah, I like that you pointed
out the millennial quarter life crisis, because as an elder
millennial, I concur. Yeah, it's happened to a lot of
people, you know. Well I mean, I was in the same
kind of position and like, got to this, what got to clinicals
and internship and was like, I, this is not for me.
I don't like this. This is making me crazy and feel
like I am, this is not crazy, it's making me feel like I'm
trying. To fit myself into something
that is that I don't even like the culture of.
So, I pushed myself past that and I'm proud of myself for
finishing. But at the same time, I know
that it's not meant, you know, I'm not in a place where I'm
meant to be forever. So I needed the experience I
think but then I was lost for like just stuck doing the same
thing over and over again. It's like and it's not like it's
a job that doesn't take a lot out of you because I mean, I
stand like yesterday when I got out of work, I was so exhausted
because my job means I have to pay attention every single
second that I am scrubbed into a case because somebody's life
depends on me, paying attention or can depend on me, paying
attention to every little thing. So, Is that because in my head,
I'm like hook way back in the day, it's a cool job.
Like I'm going to be cool like Grey's Anatomy, guess what?
It's a very draining job. And if you're not meant to be in
surgery in some, on some level, you won't make it so, I get
exactly. I get part of her journey in
that because she got to that point and then she's like, I
don't even want to work for these people.
I don't you know like what am I doing here?
And that's another reason identify with Grace, so much.
Yeah, I identify with her, putting her personal life on,
hold peace. Because in order to go into at,
like she says multiple lines in there where she's like free
time. Free time my free time is trying
to cram words into my brain because all I'm doing is
studying. Like I remember going through
like college and having roommates that were just like
hanging out doing whatever I was like, no is deep in organic
chemistry. Mystery books.
Not like I don't have time for this and like I work it like so
I understand what Grace is went through to like do school, where
you're you, have a job. Plus you're trying to like a
cheat like go into like stem stuff.
And it's exhausting. So you can't really blame Grace
for like going crazy when she finally has a moment to breathe
and she like gets drunk and does something so reckless because
she was never afforded that. She couldn't she couldn't step
out of line like in order to get a doctorate and works like she
had to dedicate every single second of her life to that.
So like you don't have a personal life like she's lucky.
She has friends that like or even there because even finding
that is very challenging when you're just so singularly
focused on one thing that like Everything you have to achieve
for years and so like that's why it's like the quarter life
crisis because you kind of you come out of that and you finally
get a chance to breathe where you don't have to study 24/7 and
like you're like well now wide Who even am I like I just like
sacrifice two years of my life to get here and I don't even
know who I am anymore. Because like, who I was was just
like somebody who studied now. I'm like, I don't know how to be
a person, because what does that mean for me now?
So it's a very jarring thing and like, plus she didn't get the
job. So it's like all likely Turley
everything is crumbling like she's like I who am I is really
the big question in the good grades when we first meet her
I'm getting stressed out with every since I can.
You guys say why? I don't know, I just I feel like
I'm heading there is it? Because you're picking up our
feelings of the palpably probably you're heading into
your quarter life? Yeah.
See, I didn't do the whole ignore this.
I I didn't have to Ignore social life but I did also go through a
terrible breakup in the middle of clinicals.
So yeah, I'm just life's rough. It's hard to know what you want
to do like the in-between of I really hate this and What am I
eating? Good at?
Yeah, this is the Crazy Prices. It's crazy that we're supposed
to make them in it. You are in it Caitlyn.
Yeah, and it's rough and there's no.
The thing is there's no right answer.
And it just you got to figure out what's best for you.
Honestly and know you the reflection first thing that I
wrote for this question was, how do they expect people to pick
what they want to do for the rest of their lives in high
school? Thanks.
Like that career test you know like how it make you do career
tests and stuff. We never did that.
I mean, I only have only seen it on TV Sam.
I'm a baby. We had to do college like,
Readiness in schools. So we had to do career.
Things personality test resume, respectively, do resume.
Yeah, he had a bunch of shit. Yeah, so I think there's some
people who got fast food worker, Yeah, which is not bad.
It's just I now God, I'm really sure.
I'm kind of, I'm starting to be in an in-between right now.
So I think I'm currently in it, just not as.
Yeah, yeah, but but it works out in the end, it just takes some
time and it sucks going through, it just like Graces Journey.
Just, no, you're not. I'm gonna spiral later but I'll
you'll get messages. All right continue.
So Question. Number two, let's move on before
Caitlyn spirals. All right, throughout the book,
Grace goes by different nicknames like Yuki calls her
honey girl, her father calls her Porter, Miracles her space girl
Baba V hen calls her greasy. What do you think these
nicknames indicate about how Grace is perceived by her friend
and family? Okay.
I made notes do it. Okay, so cheers.
Look, I got the tornado, very fascinating for non-binary.
Jeez, I think RBG would be into this.
I read you would totally be into this, okay?
So honey girl, Yuki's term of endearment shows you how you
thinks of Grace, the woman blessed by the sun.
You key is lost in the Darkness. Grace is the sun?
Yes. Okay Porter.
It's a professional name. Like, in the military, I was in
ROTC. They call you by your last name,
that's just how it is. Most of the time unless they
have a nickname that hate facts. It also creates distance while
still being familiar. So there's a distance to that
saying. Someone's last name as a name
for them. If you're using it in the way
that it's used by the kernel. And also you know, other people
like the one who's the Receptionist that hates Grace
and vice versa. I forgot her name.
But yeah, the Colonel's receptionist exactly.
Yeah, yeah. So it's just it's the creates a
distance. It gives you an idea that these
characters even though their family, there's like at arm's
length, he keeps her at arm's length in a way.
Yeah, I think like him, it's twofold.
He's showing that by using that nickname, that he views her as
an extension of himself versus Is like yep.
Exactly is extension of itself. And then also to your point in
the Army, it's more so about a respect versus affection.
Yes, and respect is earned. Hence why I like her him
respecting her as very Tethered to her achieving stuff.
It's like military culture that he brings home to his daughter.
Basically Space girl shows how smart she is, and it how we're
she is in relation to where Mira is and how mirror looks up to
her. It's also just in a cute
affectionate. I think it's a beautiful
contrast with the dad because with Colonel because it also
shows that like, because they say things like, oh, your hair,
you have your head in the stars. Like also, like race is a bit of
a dreamer to like, it's part of her personality.
She's not just like the like Souls, not just soldiers.
Science girl. Yeah.
And head in the clouds to, it's like somebody who's ambitious to
like that's part of who Graces and she's Dependable to them.
So it's like, they Meera is like, basically giving her this
nickname based It off of like her personality not like her
status in the family, kind of the way, the dad does.
Yes. Yeah.
So it's more like personality language and the dad's is very
like sterile clinical term that he gives his daughters Porter.
You know, it's very it shows a lot about the dynamic.
It already sets up the Dynamics, right, with Grace and her father
versus like her friend groups based on what they call her that
I find very interesting and Look, there are several points
at which Grace talks about astronomy and how her Mentor
approach teaching, astronomy, as an art.
Not just science of things in the sky.
So, to her the space, the Stars. Everything is an art form in a
way, not an art form, but it is Art in itself.
And also, So just, you know, there's countless things about
how beautiful space in the universe outside of Earth is so
that also is the thing that I loved because I love astronomy
for not. I took a strong Ami purposefully
as much as one of my electives just because of the way that I
loved space, and It is romantic in a way, there's a romantic.
There's a lot of romance in space.
But if you just take it down to a science, the scientific parts
of it, people like to kind of remove that and I think it's a
shame so yay for that professor And then Gracie the affectionate
term from Bubba shows that she's part of the family and that he's
just one of his kids. Yeah.
Like it's like the nickname. You he would give his own
daughter and it's like a young girl, like an innocent.
Like she's innocent to him, like, Gracie, like my young girl
kind of thing versus Porter. Yep.
Yeah. So it again, it shows like, how
mirrors Family really views her as like, Actual family.
Even the father has a nickname for her.
That's like eight endearing. Actually, affectionate nickname.
You'd give a family, a young family member, like a daughter
kind of thing. Precisely.
She got Caitlin, I feel like I did this a little wrong.
There's no wrong way to do it. Well she got my notes are it's
what they know her as honey, girl.
Yuki only remembered her hair Porter.
Her dad saw her as his charge spacegirl mural listens to her.
Talk about astronomy Gracie. Baba saw her as a kid and part
of the family. No, you got it in a lie.
Also her Different ways, which I feel could have contributed to
her loneliness, because no one saw all of her.
Oh you think everyone, who's watching this on
YouTube? Go Katlyn in the comments.
You're right. You're right.
That's an excellent point. And that's what Greece is
struggling with it that when we meet her, right?
She's not. Not whole and doesn't know how
to be whole. So she's giving parts of herself
to all of her different groups. Oh, she's fragmented.
Damn, that's such a good point, either.
You're right. Morgan's gonna be so proud of
you. Yeah, the nailed it.
I feel like you just because I had this, in my head.
I felt like she was segmented but I never put it all together.
Yeah, you're right. That's right there at the
nicknames. Yeah, caffeinate for Kaitlyn
everyone. Thank you.
Holy shit, that was such a good point.
All right, discussions over with us,
so we kind of talked about this a little bit.
Oh kind of touch on it when we're talking about the
nicknames but to dive a little bit deeper into like Grace's
actual like blood relatives or family.
So what was your assessment of Graces?
Ship with her father and her mother.
And how did those Dynamics influence her life?
I guess I should preface this by saying to those who maybe
haven't read the book. Her parents separated when she
was 13. Her mother lived stayed in
Florida. That's where Grace originally
grew up. And then when they separated her
father, took her to Portland and like, basically raised her from
then point on. So like, yeah, her mom was gone
a lot, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So, a constant It was her mom's choice to be away, right?
I'm just trying to find herself because I basically mom was
doing what Grace is doing, but her own version of that she's
like, I don't know who I am. I love figured that out.
Nothing Grace growing up, Bristol, shut up.
Sorry, dogs. Smell really wants book clubs
did this last time, I feel like her mom choosing to be away,
affected her thinking that she was basically abandoned by her
mom. So she wanted to keep the
colonel happy no matter what because maybe she was worried
that he would also leave her totally.
Absolutely absolutely yeah. That like abandonment trauma
essentially. I think that the found family
and friends are where Grace Finds real like affection
acceptance and actual love, like tender the tender type of love
the support and that those friendships are stable, even if
there's conflict but her relationships with her blood,
you know, her mom and her dad We're never stable because she
was always afraid to lose the Colonel's respect and approval.
Her mom was always going off and away.
So she lacked the stability with her actual family and had to
find it elsewhere. Which is sad.
And also the case for a lot of people, I'm sorry, I'm fighting
a cat that should biting me. I have a dog next to me asking
for pets just Because my brain is confused, a little Bree.
Are you a number for or 30? I fucked up.
What you were saying was kind of relevant to 3, but as soon as
like, she said, blood fat. Yeah, you know.
That's, I was like, yeah. She's out.
Floors my bad. I'm sorry.
I went down too far. My don't was Mother Mother.
Thank you. Caitlin.
My notes on three. Our mothers instance in
consistency cause a craving for stability in order.
And the colonel strictness and distance gave her stability.
But also stiff ideas about what it means to succeed and affected
the way Grace moves in society. and, With her friends, even
affects the way that she relates to her friends.
There's a passage in the book that I think sums this up really
nicely, I think it starts beginning.
She says, with kernels voice in her ears, urging her forward.
She had grappled to the top of this mountain, which is getting
her PhD. Mom urged her to follow her
dreams. So she chased the Stars.
She poured Blood, Sweat, and Tears into her work.
And here was the proof. He was her vow of success to
Colonel completed. So I think she had pressure to
be perfect kind of from both parents but it was manifesting a
little bit differently where the dad at the Colonel's basically
like be the best period and of sentence.
And mom was like look, be the best but like do what you want
like follow your dream, like not our dream kind of thing.
So again Grace merge the two and that's where she's like PhD
astronomy and then She gets the PHD, that's the vow to her.
Father, like you said, we're his mom's, not really a factor
anymore. It's more so about pleasing her
dad, like you said. So that's probably from like the
Detachment from her mom kind of thing.
But the, I think the dad raising her and being military man,
like, imposed on her that toxic rugged.
Individualism that America is grappling with because this
takes place and in the United States of America during this
time period, where this is a Big problem.
So because of that Grace is always like I have to solve like
anytime her pair of friends are trying to point out to her like
take a break, slow down. She's like no.
No this is my problem. I'll solve it.
I have to fix it. Like it's me me me like it's all
about her. The individual not like lean on
your community. When you can't like when you
need help kind of things. She's being forced into.
Like you have to have all the answers.
You have to be the strong one. You have to be the Dependable
one because like that's what her dad's whole mentality is, that's
Army mentality. Like, so it impose that toxic
rugged individualism on him. And, and I think that, that lack
of like having community in her own family, like really there's
no better manifestation of that than the fact that she never
calls her father. Dad, she calls him Colonel.
Like when she was little, there's like, language in the
book where she like when I was young and I like fell off my
bike or whatever, I called him dad, but like, I think after the
separation, it was colonel colonel.
Colonel current like it just Like it's almost like she's
really have parents. She has like I do people to
please versus like people who support her for who she is kind
of thing. Yeah.
So I think that set her up for like making this whole mid
quarter life crisis thing, she's going through even worse because
she won't seek help. Like, she's just like, I have to
figure it out. It's my problem like and then
she learns the hard way that she doesn't have the answers like,
you know, So I think that that, what her father imposed on her
and the mom abandonment thing, it made her situation worse when
she like, fell into the current situation.
Yep. It's yeah.
She's an island. Yeah, exactly.
She is an island. Yeah.
Okay, so now that we've talked about Grace and her relations
with her blood relatives, how does that compare to the
relationship? She builds with her found
families and how is the theme of found family?
Handled in general in the book? Sorry, the book shows that you
can always rely on your found family to be there when you
fall, and we'll be waiting for you. when you need them, even if
you've been gone for a while, Because they cannot you and they
love you. Fam families.
A person's life and it especially I think applies to
people in our community. Yep.
No matter what, what letter of the acronym, you are It applies
because you have your part of a map of a minority and Society
in. So naturally, you're going to
seek out people who are like you or people who identify you
identify with and and have that connection a safe space, you
need to save space and so that's what Grace has in this entire
book is showing you that that found family is just as
important as you know, blood family, and sometimes more.
So for some people is all they have and that's one of the
biggest things in this book that I find beautiful apart from The
relationship with Grace and Yuki is their relationship with
Grace. And every other character,
there's no character in here that I disliked.
Even the colonel. I didn't dislike him.
I understood where this was coming from, but I was sad for
Grace, because of how he treated her.
Found family is like, I would have died a hundred times over
without the people that I found the issue is that the colonel
did do stuff that he thought was in her best interest.
But he never explained to things like walking out of the
graduation when he finally explained it to her.
She understood completely, but he wasn't used to communicating.
She's also probably why they got a divorce by the way.
Yeah, totally. So she didn't feel loved.
Yeah, he was his expression of love was like I did all the
things to like, make sure you had opportunities, but never
gave her like affectionate support which is the other facet
of what he's like. I did love through actions to
make your life easier but like never gave her like the
emotional support. So she found that in other
people and that's like the found family part, like the like Bob
if he has family like they're just like Love and War and bike.
There's affectionate Bubbly. And they're like, yeah, we're
here for you like whatever, like little greasy and things like
that. So like that's a the family she
never had that was like together.
And, you know, they went through their own thing with the mom and
that family passed away and things like that.
But, you know, they were there. And then like Amana is just
like, She's like a pitbull, it away.
She's like, like, cute and cuddly.
Like, if you're on her good side, but then she will fiercely
fight for you kind of person. And that's who gracefully needed
because somebody in her Corner that like, is looking out for
like her actual interest in, like, sees through her and like,
knows when she's like upset and where's the colonel?
Like there's no communication. Like you said Katelynn.
So, Sometimes found family like other people with different
perspectives, who come from different groups like can offer
different support than your own blood relatives, who are have
their own agendas to have their own problems going on.
And, you know, don't communicate well and I love that in general.
I love it. Morgan showed found family in
different ways. So, it wasn't just like, it's
yeah, it's a book about a queer character, but it wasn't just
like the queer group. It was like, Just like again,
like Bob if he had a Mira and Raj, like they just adopted her
as part of their family like, you know, and they like their
co-workers, but they're more than that.
And like that's a found family in and of itself and then Yuki
had her own found family, too. So it goes to show you that,
like, it's more of a universal thing for people, especially,
you know, people of color especially minorities in general
because a lot of those groups for minority based groups who
kind of band together or people of circumstance, Who band
together like Yemen and grabbing Agnes, grabbing Race when Grace
was like struggling, that's kind of what you meant.
I did. So I like that it manifests in
different ways and I love that, she really put that into the
book. That it's not just found family
can manifest in many different ways, but at the end of the day,
it offers support and love that people as like human beings
need. Like it's a vital part of being
human and it can manifest many ways.
It's really special when you find it as well because
especially if you're not used to having people like that around.
You totally, totally. Totally and that's another
reason why this book is now pretty much one of my favorites
ever written because I have this thing where I will go look for
queer books and I'm reading it for the career content.
But I read this book and I didn't read it for the queer
content. I read it for the everything.
And that's when I know that a book is really speaking to me
and be in a special to me, because I will say this, the
freaking writing the pros, I can't say enough, and at the
same time, I can't say anything because it's too awesome market
and write more books. Please at your own pace because
I know it's yes. Yes, take your time.
But please write other things because you're from stupidly
talented. All right, speaking of the gay
talk about it what is your assessment of Yuki and Graces
relationship and how it progresses from start to finish?
The yarn braids. I already got a taste of what I
think. Do you want to start, or would
you like me to start? Sure.
I don't understand it. I don't know.
I feel like they should have been more concerned that they
married someone and didn't know who they were.
And didn't really know how to contact them and you know, you
met your married. Find them quicker.
It is weird that never once in the book or they ever like we
should probably annul this like they never like, you know it was
just I filled it out before I talk to you and then I ripped it
up as soon as you contacted me well yeah it's kind of weird.
Not gonna lie and I don't like logically read yet and no then
you can date, I mean like go ahead hey if you ever knew was
going to happen and that it never happened.
Okay, so this is right but then Christmas ghost her for like I
don't know how long is the mug and then the last three pages
that everything is fine like the series conversations that no one
likes to put in like we need that because people just think
everything's going to magically be.
Okay, I agree. Okay but I will say this
everything was not okay like they no everything's not.
Okay. But they're going to try to work
through it. That was the end of the book.
We're going to try this even though you fuck you.
Fucking ghosted me. I'm willing to give you another
shot. That's what the ending was.
It wasn't where happily ever after.
No, I just hate when things like and in like the last few pages.
Oh, I kind of love it. I love unresolved endings
because I'm just that kind of person.
I don't complete sentences, then you can like think about where
it goes after that and also just the very end.
See I thought of something in my head but it's gonna is gonna
sound bad. Why out of murder?
Each other Caitlin continue. I don't want to be like that.
But, um, No, I thought like know.
The only unlike open ending that I think I would like is if there
was just a murder and like like I haven't like to the wedding.
Oh, someone's dead. You know what?
No wonder I like all the. All the things in the back of
the look feel like I really didn't see that ending coming
like serious. SLI is what?
Grace is Twin? Who murdered her?
My god well this isn't a soap opera stuff and Kaitlyn.
Okay, I was with you until we got there.
Yeah, I want to add something about the relationship, all your
points are valid. What I want to say is that, I
think that it's really significant in terms of their
relationship, that Yuki is a complete stranger to graze.
Because when we meet Grace, Greg and Grayson, I know who she is
she's spiraling out of control. She just goes to Vegas to like
blow off steam and have fun which is something she's never
done. Like hasn't done probably in
like a very long time and is like you know when you're like
yeah this is I'm gonna it's gonna be great best night ever
but you're like depressed and then drinking and this will like
you're just like in a bad place. So then she's like obviously
that's not going well and then meets Yuki who's just like fun
and just sees Grace as a fun human and sees Grace not as like
a pea PhD student, not as this like perfect Porter or whatever.
She just sees her as a person with a personality and a beating
heart and like fell in love with her for who she is.
Really, and I think that's the part Grace can't get over
because she keeps like bringing up the marriage thing.
She's like, this person saw me and then decided to marry me
like what did she see in me? Because for Grace up to that
point, like she's just been seeking love from her father
through accomplishments and like Yuki doesn't know anything about
her accomplishments, he's just like, I like you for you.
Like that's the Probably the first time in a very long time.
That has happened for Greece like, in a romantic way.
And so for her love, is this quid pro quo thing?
It's like I do this then I get your affection.
I do this, I get your affection but Yugi has no clue what she's
just like you. He's just this beautiful woman
that has this bubbling laughs. She remembers and Graces like I
think I was having fun. I think I was happy like what
the fuck is this feeling? So I she can't get over like the
residual feelings that she had from that night from a stranger
who really doesn't know her. So I love that it's a yeah, it
was like, I was when I was reading it for the first time
was like this. Very weird Trope to believe you
have this book that I didn't really see coming cuz I didn't
read the back cover. I was just like heard it's a
great book from a friend of mine was like I'll read it when I was
like, really, we're going to start with a Vegas wedding but
now having read it like and seeing Greece's journey and who
Graces? I think it made sense for her
because she was just a very tightly wound rubber band that
snapped and like, yeah, somebody in that position, who is like
flailing and is depressed, and his drunk would do something
like this. Where there's like, fuck it.
I'm having fun for the first time in forever.
I Never want this to stop. Let's get married, right?
The in Greece for a lot of the time, she's like holding the
key, they lock the keys on like the fake bridge or whatever and
yeah, I guess. Yeah.
And clutches the key and always is like hesitant to tell people
about it because you like this is mine.
Like for once I did something for me that may be happy, it
wasn't part of a plan. It was just for me.
And I think that it's so significant that you, he is just
a stranger who's not part of any of this who saw Grace for just
who she is not a set of accomplishments.
Aunt, not a doctor and I think that's the thing that really
stuck with Grace. And I think that's why she never
really was like, let's end this because I've never had this.
I kind of want to know what this is kind of thing.
So I do like that and they're both pretty mature.
Actually about just like let's let's see where this goes.
Like it's never like we're I mean there's weird it's a little
bit weird but like it's not like the way they communicate and
stuff is actually pretty good. It's just when Grace spirals
again. That's when it's because it's
like Grace, never went to New York to explore the thing with
Yuki, but she never dealt with her actual problem.
She just was running away. And so when it catches up to
her, And Yuki is the one at that point.
He's like, listen, you came here to be happy.
Like you found that you're a good teacher.
Like, why don't you pursue that and Grace again, can't reconcile
the path thing. She's like, no, no being a
teacher, is not the best working at NASA's the best.
Like, I can't, that's not the best.
So I can't have these two things.
Like, I can't, I can't merge these things and like Yuki cake
it through to her because like Grace has to go past the, like,
figure out who she is. Like, that's the main problem.
So it's a punch in the gut though.
It's basically told you key that Or not the best for me.
Yeah, exactly. Because Grace is to it.
She yeah. She's too much about Grace and
it's not seem Yuki. Yeah, if I was you key, I'd be
like, bye bitch. All right, this is to like it.
Yeah. Um, only would have get an
annulment right away. Just sayin.
You also have to like, take into account that this is where we're
at the love at first sight. Love at first.
Sight Trope, kind of thing. And this is like, this is like,
imagine me and you without us being able to see the click.
Yeah, you just go hazy memory. Exactly.
But that all to me, makes it even kind of more attractive as
a story. Because there's a veil of
mysteries around it and I think Grace needed that mystery and
needed needed the journey. So but if you like you, look at
them as characters. They're very good for one
another because they have this mixture of differences and
similarities at the same time. And I just feel like Grace
doesn't know how to love and and Yuki doesn't know how to
communicate with Grace. About her, like doesn't know how
to get through to Grace because this is the part where they are
fundamentally different and don't know each other on these
levels yet. Yeah.
Oh I don't and I feel like the marriage thing that happened but
I don't feel like it's as relevant to what they're doing
afterwards because they are just dating basically They just are.
They went about it backwards. That's what they did.
I know. I'm totally like.
Yeah. It's a little weird but yeah,
exactly what Bruce said but not like you're wife, shut up and
like, at the kitchen or whatever.
It's nothing. It never gets weird.
You know? Like it's just like that was the
Catalyst for the meeting kind of thing.
You can use a little weird and she needs to be to keep Grace's
attention and to really think Grace loves that Yuki's a
little, you know, out there because all her Stories, like
listening to that radio show Yuki's radio show.
I think that's when Grace first first really starts being like
knowing that she there's something really there.
Like fundamentally, they meet each other on a level that
transcends all of their differences. and then, I thought
that despite getting married on the night, they met that their
romance progressed really well. Like, I like how he's totally.
I agree. It's like an ass backwards thing
but like, oh yeah, genius in a way.
Yeah, we're good. All right, so speaking of the
radio show. So what did you think of Yuki's
lonely creatures radio show? And why do you think Grace and
so many others are drawn to this program.
Everyone feels alone. Everyone feels lost at some
point in their life, no matter how many people you have around
you. You feel like people don't see
you. And that's I think what you he
is doing is trying to throw out these threads for everyone
that's listening. And that's why she says are you
listening? She's drawing the Lost into you
know pretty much her arms. It's like that show is like a
hug to everyone who feels lost alone and Afraid and that's I
think another reason that Grace falls in love with Yuki.
Her stories appealed to appeal to everyone.
In there's something there for everyone in all the stories she
tells because they're not just these weird stories of Oddity
and like science fiction. He stuff their stories with
these themes inside of them that can capture you.
And that's why her show is important.
Not only to her but to Grace and everyone that hears it.
Like she's really this is so important to her to any other
person. Maybe like this is just a little
dinky radio show to her. This is her helping people, this
is her purpose, her connection to the world, her connection to
the, her listeners is super important to her and you see
that when they go out in search of the the creature, and every
and Grace is kind of like, okay, what are we doing?
And you know, her friend, her roommates just kind of know
what's going on because they know you key.
And this is Grace Grace is crash course in Yuki is what that
whole experience was. But that's shows you, you Keys
heart right there, what a magical person, she is.
And why Grace Falls for her? That was so well said.
Do you have anything to add Caitlin?
I lost you guys. I found you.
Sorry, that's okay. I said that tuning in every week
gave people a sense of community and that I hope it's something
that we do as well. Are you guys listening?
Are you listening? Are you still awake?
All right, so wake up. Yeah. 10 an hour guys an hour.
Yeah so I agree with all that. I agree with all that coping
with isolation and loneliness. Again is a universal Human
Experience. The other thing I want to add
that you guys have it already talked about is the fact that
she talks about monster stories. And I think that another thing
to kind of pick apart There is, she kind of talks about.
I think she has conversation with Grace about this to about
these monsters. And it's like is a monster
inherently Evil versus misunderstood, because I think
that's important when people feel lonely, isolated it looking
my, the monster or my misunderstood.
So it's another way people can kind of resonate and I want to
note that like initially Grace is resist.
The woman of science is resistant essentially to these
stories. But it's really worth noting
with grace, that the entire time, like, she's been chasing
her astronomy dream. She's been telling herself this
story. Like she uses language in the
book that like I made from the Galaxy and like destined for
greatness because of that. So she's really telling herself
her own version of like a monster.
Like fairytale kind of story, like, Yugi's been talking about,
but doesn't like she liked. It doesn't reconcile those two
things that like, I tell myself stories to make me happy, but
then you keep Telling stories is weird at first because I think
she thinks that her story about the stars and the galaxies are
more tangible because like the stars and the galaxies are real
versus like these monsters, that can't be real.
But like you said, Bray the whole Crux of it is that it's
not really about monsters, it's about connecting with people and
like, providing them like, I guess, love and support kind of
that one people feel lonely because like the one person
who's like, hey, you know, I saw this monster totally real and
you can goes out of her way to go check it out because like
Like if that person believes in it, like it's important that I
believed them too and like, check it out, that's like
camaraderie with my like listeners.
So at the end of the day grease gets it.
Oh, okay. It's not really about believing
in mythical things. It's more about the community
you build with the people with a shared interest thing.
So, Caitlin sport. I hope you get that from this
podcast to. All right?
So Grace throughout the book is basically in three different
places in the United States. She was in Portland, that's kind
of where she grew up with the colonel some since she was 13,
there's New York, which is where she goes to be with Yuki for a
bit and then she ends up in the Grove in Florida.
So, how does her life in those three different areas compared
and differ? I got a short and to the point
answer, okay? Portland real-life shit is hard,
New York pretend life only staying for summer.
Like, she didn't have any responsibilities or care is like
she could just be with Yuki and get to know her so it wasn't
real life. And then in the groove she
resorted back to Childhood and I feel like she needed to go back
to because her childhood is when she was on that path.
So she needed to go back. Back in that space to really
find herself. Well, Sarah.
I have Portland, she has expectations, and people she's
used to being with people. She knows Florida is where she's
going to complete the chapter, this chapter of her journey
because this is just that we're getting a snapshot of her life
just part of her life. So this is, this is the journey
that we're going on with her. This is kind of like the end of
a journey that we see in Florida which is re-establishing a
relationship with her mom. She's learning how to Just be
and not move toward a goal all the time.
And The gold. It's not even doesn't even
really translate for her because the Pinnacle of success is
something different to every person can be as versus, what's
the Pinnacle of success in society?
Because sometimes Society is bullshit, but hey, whatever.
I mean, most of it, yes, yeah. New York is that beginning of
her finding who she is, and who she is with Yugi and who you get
is. So that's just kind of really
gets things going in New York, and she actually has time time.
The thing she'd never had before. it just experience.
Because she's the only thing she's experienced before this is
going towards that goal. and now, she's like, Out in the wind
in a way is basically it, what it is and whatever is coming.
She's experiencing so Yes, yes, yes, I agree with everything you
guys said. Portland, for me.
That's where she moved with her dad.
It's the setting of her anxiety. Like Portland is just anxiety.
Responsibility it. I say, yeah.
Like, you feel like when she's in Portland, you just, there's
the anxiety. Like, that's where the plan
started. The plan is falling apart.
This is just anxiety. So, like Grace needs to get the
fuck out of there. Yes.
The Grove is this simple isolated place?
It's down to earth, right? Literally the Earth right Earth.
Yeah, really. It's where she has a child was
like sheep when she remembers the Grove like not even before
she gets there, she remembers it.
She talks about how like, when she was there.
She used to just climb trees and just like watch, like she had
time because she was a child with no expectations there.
She could just sit at the top of these trees and smell orange
blossoms and like, The Harvest and just like exist without
anxiety. So she remembers the growth
fondly when she thinks about it, not when she's physically there,
but then when she goes back at the end, it's a reconnection to
her Roots, like you said, Caitlyn, Because she has to
reconcile who she is as an adult with responsibilities because
you cannot run away from them. You have to unfortunately deal
with them. That's why being an adult sucks.
But you try to reconcile that from when she was happy as a kid
with no expectations, right? So, like, she has to go back
there to complete the cycle of, like, how do I reconcile
happiness, and being an adult, right?
And so, the Middle Road is New York City which is the complete
opposite of Graces plan, New York City, right?
It's this brand new environment. Where Grace Aces initially.
Super uncomfortable, right? Because being in a new
environment where you don't know how to navigate it is scary,
right? She even says to you key a few
times like says like, oh, she scolds you key for walking to
the radio station alone at night because you think it's dangerous
here and like, because like it's a new place, it's scary.
Like I've heard I've heard Whispers of like, dangerous
people and stuff and he's like, I've been living here for years,
like it's fine. So it's an inner monologue is
like Grace, Just Afraid of being in a new environment.
But over time like New York City, kind of becomes this safe
haven for her a little bit like the apartment itself.
Yuki's roommates, she starts bonding with them, right?
The recording studio, they become familiar places because
she's like on her own navigating a new place and like, finding
her own like role in that new environment.
So it's showing Grace that like, hey, when you step out of your
comfort zone, when you go onto a new path that you have to pay
for yourself, you are capable of navigating this by yourself.
You just have to, like, breathe a little.
Give yourself a chance. And also Like, she has people
supporting her right Yugi, and the roommates and all that
stuff. And I think it's really
significant. The impact that like this
transition place has on her because when she goes to the
Grove later, the first thing she noticed when she's trying to
sleep is the absence of New York City.
Like she's like, there's no, I don't hear the heartbeat of the
city, I don't hear like the street noises like the sound of
life and opportunity, like she recognizes that, like, I can't
escape to my childhood, I miss that place.
That was new, that was mine that I was navigating.
So I think it's more than just like Yuki herself.
It's like Symbolizing Grace, like needing to get out of her
comfort zone and go experience a new place.
Initially, I think she viewed New York as running away so that
she can focus on what made her happy and clear her head like
you were saying three. But I think that it really
became more than that. It became like the stepping
stone of like I can, I am capable of like moving past
this, like broken path right now and carving my own in a new
scary place. I'm not familiar with and like
the other thing. I think she learns to hear is
that like, I can, it's okay to let other people take care of me
because I think that's the other part of Grace.
We're like, again that toxic individuality that she has where
she's like, I have to navigate this, but in New York she
doesn't. She has Yuki to guide her around
the roommates are there to like greet her at the end of the day.
So it's like she learns to lean on other people and that it's
okay to like be in a new environment basically.
So I think I like the way Morgan did that by like putting the
character in physics, different physical locations, that are
starkly that are very different from each other to like New York
City, is very different in Portland, which is very
different than like Southern Florida, you know so it sets a
good stage and like creases transition and like the full
circle that she goes through. Why are they different?
Hell yeah. All right.
So what did you guys think of the representation in this
story? Beautiful a-plus-plus.
Even the side characters. Felt like they were flesh and
Bone. Thank you.
Could grab ahold of them and just like experience them.
That's rare for me with books because usually, a lot of Side
characters or, you know, supporting characters feel
two-dimensional, Indies did not because I wanted to be friends
with them. And I'll never be friends with
them because they're not real. I know they're real in your
head. That's what the psychiatrist
said. I heard it.
I thought it was very diverse and educating on different
cultures. It was never really discussed in
the book except like, when they were playfully joking around
with each other, And I really like the scene with Grace and I
think Dorian when they're doing like the protective hairstyles,
because that's something that, unless you are in that culture,
I don't know what the right way to say it.
But you don't understand that, so it's educating people who
don't know that. Well, it's giving the thing
about this book is that the representation is there, but one
is not shoehorned. It's incredibly natural to you.
Get pieces of so many different cultures and also, sexuality and
gender identities. And yeah, we're identities.
I like mmm. I think what the character one
of the characters that really interested me.
With Ani. I want to know more, like I want
their Journey. Yeah, totally, just, I want to
know, I just, I want a book about Yuki's life before,
seriously, UK's whole family is incredible.
I want, those are my favorites. I want a book about Agnes Ximena
and Mira. Yeah.
No, that would be amazing. Can there just be like a Trilogy
of these books? We're like deciding Morgan's
life. F right now, I'm sorry.
This is what my next step off. No, but really, like it's off
the charts, just the representation in general.
So, again, there's a ton of different cultures and the way
she writes it is just, it's fleshing out the character and
it's it, I love the way she does it in a really subtle ways like
when they're in the Tearoom and talking kind of about the tea
and you can, you get the sense of like mirrors culture like
from how their conversation? It's not again.
This like shoehorn thing really, Saying like it's just it's
natural conversations that like flesh out their cultures, that
flush out, who these people are their values and things like
that, it makes them people, right?
Because they are, and I love that she has a variety of
different cultures and like people of color in this book and
the way she wrote them, always just so masterful.
There's so many queer identities in this and the other part I
want to talk I think is worth mentioning is there's different
family structures throughout this book to like you have You
know, step parents, you have the nearest family with the mom
passed away. You have, like, you men or, you
know, really talk about their family and like you can never
talks about her family. They just they have their friend
family. And so, it just goes to show you
like, you know, humanity and different manifesting in
different forms. And I think it's so beautiful
the way she did it. Everything is very natural, so
it's just it's the best representation I've ever seen in
a book like, me too. It's incredible.
It's so good. I just want to make every white
person I know. Read it.
It it's so good. It's yeah, it's all good.
All right, I love it. Love it.
Love it, love it. So that brings us so that
concludes our discussion, but before we sign off, how much big
gay energy it does. This story have on the lesbian,
Jesus, hydration scale. You go first Caitlin.
Okay. So what I have written, you're
gonna hate me or not. That's fine, but over the course
of talking and making myself, get out of the headspace of the
main relationship. I decided to give an 84
representation in general. That's fair enough.
Really actually went from five to six to seven to eight in the
past. 15 minutes. That's amazing.
The power of Morgan. Yes.
Exactly. The power of representation as
well. Yeah, yeah, I will go next since
the or is the oars boat, so she should go last and mine is the
Infinity of a black hole. She gets the Milky Way.
No, seriously, if we had to do it on a scale of 1 to 10, I'm
getting it. Get a 10 but in ten Breeze
answer is perfect. Literally a black hole like it's
it's the limit does not exist. Honestly, it works for this book
as well. Yeah, exactly.
Yeah Perfection. Honestly, this has some of the
best representation period. Like there's more than one
career character, they are all handled really well.
The representation period, the writing, the journey like, Ten
this, if you seriously. If you haven't read this book
and you're just listening to us, please go read this book.
It's really an easy read. It's, it's not that long either
really not. That was like, 200.
It's 200 Pages, like honestly, like, it's really not that long
to 50. I think I feel like it in, like
four days because I read half and half.
Yeah. Like, you're stuck in an
airport. Read it.
Read it, Morgan's like eautiful writer.
It's the most delicious, you know, desert.
You could ever Have star who 2023 operate and go check out
this book if you haven't already.
But that doesn't mean we're done with book club, 2023, just
started. And next up, we have a breeze
pick three what are we reading that next month next?
So for February Girls of paper and Fire.
And here is the synopsis for you.
Each each year. Eight beautiful girls are chosen
as paper girls to serve the king.
It's the highest honor they could hope for.
And the most demeaning this year, there's a ninth and
instead of paper, she's made of Fire.
In this richly developed fantasy, lay is a member of the
paper, cast, the lowest most persecuted cast of people in a
Cara. She lives in a remote village
with her father, where the decade old trauma of watching
her mother's snatch, by Royal Guards, or an unknown fate still
haunts her. Now, the guards are back in this
time, it's lay there after the girl, with the golden eyes who's
rumored Beauty has piqued. The Kings interest over weeks of
training in the opulent, but oppressive pal.
Us lay and eight other girls learning the skills and charm,
be fit to be fit. A king's consort there.
She does the unthinkable she falls in love.
Her forbidden romance becomes a mesh with an explosive plot that
threatens her world's entire way of life.
Lay still the wide-eyed country girl at heart, must decide how
far she's willing to go for justice and revenge intriguing.
So get ready because it's a ride and this is actually a Trilogy
and but the first book in my mind almost stands on its own in
a way as far as like, if this is the only one you read, okay?
But I love, love, love the romance in this.
There's just a lot of trigger warnings guys.
It starts in the at like page 13 or something, just FYI.
Trigger warning for sa trigger warnings, for bad things
happening to animals. So that's not something you're
into. You can skip the the skips
animal parts of the book. Yeah, it's not hard to skip you
just pop right over it. But yeah all right so we have
girls of wait girls are fire goes with paper.
Yeah throws you paper and fire. Thank you girls with tapered
fire to look forward to next time.
So thank you for joining us for our inaugural 2003 book club.
We will see you guys next month. Hi.
Bye-bye. And with that, we've been big
gay energy. If you liked this episode check
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