I Wish You All The Best, by Mason Deaver

I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


In her blurb, Becky Albertalli, author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, notes that "This book will save lives" and that the novel is "quietly groundbreaking." Kacen Calendar, winner of the Stonewall Award, and author of Hurricane Child, echoes Albertalli: "This is the sort of novel that goes beyond being important; it has the potential to save and change lives" (unnumbered first page).

I agree. It is a sweet love story and a coming-of-age story as well. Ben De Becker, a high school senior in Goldsboro, NC, comes out to their parents as nonbinary and gets kicked out, with literally the clothes on their back. They wind up in Raleigh, with their sister, Hannah and her husband. Hannah, estranged from their parents, left 10 years ago. Ben "[tries] to keep a low profile in a new school." Enter Nathan Allan, "a funny and charismatic student," who "decides to take Ben under his wing."

They become friends, and yes, this a love story, a slow burn, I think, as I understand the term. They do fall in love. For Ben, in addition, there are issues of anxiety and recovery from what I would call the emotional abuse of their parents. They will learn to believe in themself. Watching all of this unfold is "At turns heartbreaking and joyous." I Wish You All The Best is both a celebration of life, friendship, love, and a shining example of hope in the face of adversity" (back cover). Both Ben and Nathan are likable characters and I found myself cheering them on. The rest of the cast are authentic and believable.

Yes, young people wrestling with being nonbinary can, I think, benefit from reading this YA story, and knowing they are not alone, and there is a community out there that is supportive. But I also think that those readers who aren't nonbinary will find this YA novel not just a good read, and a page turner, but like me, learn something about what it means to be nonbinary.

It is worth noting the author identifies as nonbinary. As they said in an Author's Note, that they "wanted to tell the story I needed when I was younger. This book is what I needed when I was fifteen, when I was eighteen, and it's still the story I need when in my twenties. This is how a lot of stories are born: out of necessity" (325).

All of this important.

Recommended.



View all my reviews