The Importance of Being Kevin, by Steven Harper

[Ulysses]

The Importance of Being Kevin
By Steven Harper
Dreamspinner Press, 2019
Five stars

“Peter and I glided and danced our way through the words of Oscar Wilde.”

This excellent book is a surprisingly dark and pain-filled coming-out/coming-of-age story, set against the unlikely backdrop of an all-teenage production of Oscar Wilde’s comic play, “The Importance of Being Earnest.” What it draws from the play, however, is not the romantic comedy, but the underlying narrative of deceit and prevarication. Neither boy, however, knows anything about Oscar Wilde and his own personal tragedy.

Kevin Devereaux is a poor kid from the wrong side of town who signs onto the local arts center’s teen production of the Wilde play in order to stay out of juvie. Having never set foot on a stage in his life, he snags the lead as the duplicitous Algernon. He literally runs into his co-star Peter Finn, who gets the second-leading role of Jack, as he’s checking the bulletin board to see his fate. Not only does Kevin find an instant camaraderie with Peter, but he discovers – to his complete surprise – a natural affinity with acting.

The flipside of this is that Kevin is not telling people the truth about himself or the truly messed up situation in which family finds itself. Peter, too, has his secrets, which escalate rather dramatically when the plot turns dark and he feels himself called to defend Kevin’s honor (which is putting a far too trivial spin on it – but I’m avoiding spoilers). Both of these boys are traumatized by events beyond their control.

What this book gets across particularly well is the deep confusion and fear both these boys feel, and their inability to trust – or to decide who to trust. The underlying reality that the grass isn’t really greener on either side of the fence is challenged by physical evidence that seems to prove that privilege and happiness go hand in hand (when, in fact, they don’t). Issues of class and justice are laid out in a harsh light, but it is the helplessness of young people in face of adult authority that is front and center in this emotionally tough plot.

As in all my favorite YA books, parents play major roles in this one – not always positive ones. The author manages to surprise us enough so that the story doesn’t fall into cliché, and he digs into characters deeply enough to shed light on what’s going on around them. People make bad choices and do stupid things, but we can see why and root for them nonetheless.

My heard bled for Kevin, but loved the way his “Algy shell” became a bulwark against his own fears. I loved that Peter’s inherent goodness protects him from the worst of his teenaged impulsiveness. The reader learns just how hurtful – and how loving – people can be to their children; and that, these days, being gay is just one more complication in the life of a teenager.