Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Green, John and David Levithan. Will Grayson, Will Grayson. New York: The Penguin Group, 2010. hardcover. 304p. $17.99. ISBN 9780525421580.

Cover art for Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Will Grayson, Will Grayson, a much anticipated YA novel by two well respected novelists, is about two teenagers that share the same name and live in two different suburbs of Chicago. One Will Grayson is straight and one will grayson is gay. Both are somewhat socially awkward with will grayson leaning towards clinical depression. After they cross paths in a porn shop on an ill-fated trip to Chicago, they maintain contact through Will Grayson’s best friend, Tiny Cooper, an openly gay football player who is described as”the world’s largest person who is really, really gay.”

The novel follows the group as they work through relationship problems, both romantic and platonic. It is a typical high school novel with very non-typical characters.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson is written in alternating chapters. John Green writes the chapters involving the straight Will Grayson, while David Levithan handles the chapters with the gay will grayson. The story flows seamlessly from one chapter to the next. Each author gets a chance to write for Tiny Cooper when he becomes an integral part of both Will Grayson’s lives. It is very impressive that both authors were able to maintain the integrity of the character of Tiny Cooper. In the past, I have read alternating chapter books and found it very difficult to follow the flow of the book, but this story is never hard to follow.

Some people may feel that the book might be a bit of a fantasy world, like David Levithan’s Boy Meets Boy, where gay issues are easily overcome, but I feel it reflects present day society, in that some teens are having an easier time coming out.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson is very appropriate for a teen audience (no sex, but some drinking and drug use), but I would also recommend it for older audiences. When I finished this book I missed the characters and wish I could spend more time with them.

Reviewed by, Scott Clonan
Adult Services Librarian
Rainbow Library
Las Vegas Clark County Library District

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.