Eric and Morgan are best friends and share the same
birthday. With the exception of the year
they got sick, the two of them have always spent their birthdays together. Back when they were little and
didn’t know better, they would tell each other that they loved each other.
But things change as the boys get older: Morgan’s mother dies of cancer, Eric’s
parents are getting divorced, and the idea of love between the boys has
evolved. Eric knows he isn’t gay, but
he’s always felt that Morgan was more girl-like, in a way that he found attractive.
Sure, Morgan is a guy (they play football together!) but somehow Morgan
has always seemed pretty. And Morgan who actually does find boys attractive, doesn't feel particularly gay either. Instead, the body parts just feel
wrong. Morgan feels like a girl – a girl
very much in love with her best friend.
Told over a period of six birthdays, the novel explores the
development of Morgan’s gender identity and the love story between her and
Eric.
It's a moving and informative work about a life journey for both Morgan and Eric that will be meaningful for trans teens and those who love them. In many
ways this is a similar story to Russo's debut novel, If I Was Your Girl. But while the dead mother angle is tired cliche and exploitative, I find this sophomore effort more effective than her first book. For one thing, being seemingly autobiographical, its more personal. It's certainly better written and reads quickly.
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