THE GHOSTS WE KEEP

A nonbinary teen in North Carolina struggles with relationships and loss.

When Ethan dies in a hit-and-run, his younger sibling, Liam, is heartbroken. In addition to the normal stages of mourning, 16-year-old Liam has other things on their mind: a crush on their brother’s best friend, Marcus, an athletic White boy; feelings of exclusion after their best friends, brown-skinned Vanessa and Vietnamese Joel, disappear into a romantic relationship; and anxiety around a burgeoning music career. Liam is surprised to develop a friendship with Marcus, slowly realizing the secrets their brother had been keeping. Liam, who defaults to White, stumbles toward these realizations as they both seek and reject help from their friends, who regularly fail to provide support. It’s refreshing to encounter a story about a teen dealing with darker issues without transness or queerness being implicated; Joel is a trans guy, and Liam’s family is somewhat uncomprehending of the nuances but accepting of their gender. Unfortunately, although the novel opens a few months after Ethan’s death, very little of interest happens in the plot, and the supporting characters (despite their narrow portrayals, viewed as they are through Liam’s perspective) are far more sympathetic and fully realized than Liam is. Many scenes come across more as explanation than exploration.

For teens looking for a sad wallow.