Just Lizzie - Karen Wilfrid - ★★★.½

AUTHOR: Karen Wilfrid

GENRE: Middle-grade/Lower YA fiction.

RATING: 3.5 stars.

In a Nutshell: A middle-grade/lower-YA novel about an asexual girls coming to terms with her sexual orientation. Honestly, I love the intent much more than the content, but just for the fact that it introduces the topic of asexuality to the target age group, I will be generous with my rating.

Story Synopsis:

Fourteen-year-old Lizzie isn’t sure why she hates her developing body or why she can’t say the right gushy things to her pregnant teacher the way the other girls can. But most of all, she wonders why she doesn’t feel ANYTHING towards other boys or even girls. It is only when the topic of asexual reproduction in plants comes up in class that she feels like nature might hold an answer to her queries.

The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Lizzie.

Bookish Yays:

💐 The biggest yay is easily the main theme of the book. Asexuality is, as far as I know, not yet a sexual orientation explored in books for this age range. The very fact that the book does not just mention asexuality but also makes it the focal point of the content deserves applause.

💐 The secondary characters, be it Lizzie’s best friend Sarah Nan or her teachers, are interesting. They aren’t portrayed as perfectly positive characters, as is common in this genre, but as humans willing to learn. There are two mother-daughter relationships in the book, and the contrast between them adds much to the story. I always like it when human characters are depicted realistically.

💐 Some of the plot points, though minor, were interesting. I especially enjoyed the details of the self-defence classes and of Lizzie’s science project on asexual reproduction in nature. The scene where the characters ponder over what it means to become an adult is also well written.

💐 It is interesting to see how the author linked asexual reproduction with asexuality in humans, though the two concepts aren’t exactly the same. She also succeeds in establishing asexuality as normal and that asexual people can still have relationships.

💐 The age of fourteen is a midway age - neither child nor adult. It is a time of confusion and a time of change. The story incorporates both these aspects well, with all the characters (even the adults) experiencing either a modification in their circumstances or an uncertainty in their life.

💐 The book highlights ‘Asexuality Visibility and Education Network’ (AVEN) multiple times. There is also a list of helpful resources at the end of the book.

💐 The author’s note is excellent. As she identifies as asexual, and she is also a school teacher for middle-graders, she seems the right person to pen a book on this topic.

Bookish Nays:

🌵 This is a debut work, and it suffers from the common problem of debut novels, what I call the ‘kitchen sink’ syndrome. The theme of asexuality was strong enough to carry the book. But the plot still incorporates – either at a detailed or a superficial level – the importance of self-defence, (attempted sexual/physical) assault, bullying, sexual activity in teens, understanding of adulthood, acceptance of menstruation, fighting the “boys will be boys” mentality, body dysmorphia, change of residence, aromanticism,… Every single theme here is important, but throw in too many in a single book and the value of each goes for a toss. The book should have stuck to the few that are closest to the core theme of asexuality.

🌵 Extending the above, a common confusion is the difference between the connected but distinct ideas of asexuality and aromanticism. Lizzie seems to be both asexual and aromantic, based on what she reveals about herself. But the book clearly puts her in the asexual category, and aromanticism gets but a passing mention. Though the author’s note clarifies the reason why she chose to keep aromanticism aside, I still feel the book missed on an excellent opportunity here, especially as it is meant for young minds going through the same confusion.

🌵 Lizzie’s character didn’t appeal much to me, despite my feeling sorry for her. Her irritation with her mother doesn’t feel justified. She either cries or gets angry with anyone who chooses to date or speaks of attraction, but doesn’t communicate her feelings. I don’t think she made for a great role model, and also that her portrayal doesn’t do justice to the ace community. Being asexual doesn’t mean you hate everyone else for thinking about attraction or romance, but that you yourself don’t feel the same need. Even if she were still trying to understand herself, her passive-aggressive attitude seemed extreme. This behaviour might be an effect of her inner turmoil, but it didn’t make it easy to like her.

🌵 I didn’t get why the plot point about the assault was given so much focus in the book. It was just incidental to the main plot and added nothing much of value.

All in all, I admire the author’s attempt at bringing this important and underrepresented sexual identity to the attention of the young target readers. The implementation might have been a bit here and there, but there are enough positive points in favour of this OwnVoices debut novel.

I would advocate this book to older MGs and above, i.e. the 11+ age group (and that too, only to mature eleven year olds.) Though this is marketed as a middle-grade book, younger MGs might find the number of topics and the information a bit too overwhelming. Plus, the detailed mention of the assault, the details about sexual activity, and the scene where one character flashes her friends make me reluctant to recommend this to the middle grade crowd. Some plot points will be better suited to the lower YA age range (13-16 years). That said, the writing is strongly MG in style.

My thanks to HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley for the DRC of “Just Lizzie”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.