The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag
A lot is going on in this book. It is not easy, not even smooth. Things go up and down and around. There is commentary on life, love, family, friends and self. But to talk about it means telling you the whole book, which you need to experience yourself. Ages at least 14 and up, very mature themes and several potential trigger situations.
The flow of the book is quick, but sometimes that makes a mess. I had to backtrack a few times. There are pieces that I was oh okay, we’re going this way…nope they want to go that…. Why? And it did not make sense. There are several characters and each one has their own problems (though I think we know what all the eggplants on the uncles boxers mean, which just makes it funny on a lesbian….) Sometimes there is too much going on. Maybe focus on one person fully? And let the “parallel journeys” be shown in other books? With that said, I had all the feelings while reading: loved it, hated it, was lukewarm about it. I went along with the
After a bit of research the only books by Ostertag I have not read are Shattered Warrior and The Castoffs. Or at least read volume one in a series. This tells me that Ostertag is an author that has two parts to their writing: They deal with LGBTQ issues for all ages and have books for various ages. While they lean towards the ten and up, they go up to adults. Therefore, look at the books before just picking it up.
