"The Redemption of Daya Keane" is a novel about the value of friendship, fun, and finding common ground, even with those who seem to be unlike us. This queer coming-of-age YA novel, Gia Gordon's first, is a gem of a story that adults as well as young people can enjoy reading.
When high schooler and "low profile queer" Daya Keane finally has a chance to talk face to face with her classmate and long-time crush Beckett Wild, a vocal Christian whose family named their dog after their deceased pastor, she's amazed to find that the interest just may be mutual.
As their friendship grows, Daya is intrigued at Beckett's sense of wonder and seeing the extraordinary in ordinary things, like slow pouring a packet of sugar into a cup of coffee, "a mini-Big Bang...a kind of nebula."
A big part of Beckett's life is The Great Wait, which includes regular abstinence meetings and wearing a promise ring (promising abstinence). But as the book unfolds, it becomes clear that her church's effort to push-back against the culture, in fact, only magnifies it.
Set in a small town in Arizona, Beckett and her church youth group organize a "Pure Prom" as a "safe prom alternative" on prom night. Although many kids are turned off by its name and Daya herself is unsure about what to do, she realizes this is about as good an alternative as is possible for single gay students who aren't keen to shell out big bucks. The night becomes a turning point in their lives.
Finding community
This is a page turner. The community Gia Gordon has created is just plain fun even as it tackles some heavy topics, including the importance of good friends in overcoming grief. In the end, it is useful as well as entertaining, like "The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School."
The accepting vibe among all the friends in this book is refreshing.
An excerpt:
"I ease down on the foot of the bed, the lower half of Wonder Woman visible between us, while the string lights across my ceiling catch the prism of colors in her hair. She smiles at me through her freckles, smiles with her eyes, not just her mouth. Beckett Wild belongs in a museum. She's an impressionist master-piece, a kaleidoscope of randomness. Only ... not. Nothing about her is random, except for the fact that she's here."
Meanwhile, in what feels like a parallel universe beginning in chapter 2, we see that Daya's single-parent home is full of heartbreak and brokenness. Her mother, whom she calls by her first name when she speaks of her in the third person, is unwilling to engage with her amazing, resilient daughter ever since malicious gossip that she is "a dyke" has reached her ears.
Shame prevents her from engaging with her daughter (much less loving and caring for her) and there are occasional outbursts of violence against her that have left a small scar on Daya's face.
Full of sincerity, life-like descriptions, snappy prose, and very cool scenes, "The Redemption of Daya Keane" offers a glimpse into some of the contradictions that govern social life for many gay students (as well as for sexually active straight students; they are just afraid of sex, y'all, especially now that abortion is illegal in so many states) living on the edge of civilization in red states today, where total acceptance and pariah status sometimes still go hand in hand.
Author Gia Gordon, based in Texas, credits the memory of author Julie Anne Peters who wrote "Keeping You a Secret," the first YA book she ever read, without which this book may never have been written. Gordon is a youth activist, former educator, and environmental artist for Salvage Art. She co-founded Never Counted Out, a nonprofit that provides books to classrooms and community programs.
'The Redemption of Daya Keane' by Gia Gordon, Harper Teen, $19.99.
www.harpercollins.com
www.giagordonwrites.com
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