THREE SIDES OF A HEART

Some may think the time of the love triangle has gone by, but a contingent of young-adult authors has teamed up to reimagine the trope.

Sixteen short stories in a grab bag of genres set out to “challenge and interrogate” classic love triangles. Standouts include the triangle among a girl, a boy, and a city in Brenna Yovanoff’s “Vega”; Rae Carson’s “Omega Ship,” which follows every last-of-humanity sci-fi trope up until a gratifyingly feminist twist; and Justina Ireland’s zombie story, “Dread South,” about a white girl who falls for the black girl charged with protecting her in an alternate 1876. The collection has a relatively diverse cast of characters throughout: half the pieces feature protagonists of color, and nearly as many represent lesbian, gay, bisexual, or polyamorous teens. Numerous stories forgo the stale “which person should I choose?” narrative. Few include physical intimacy beyond kissing. Overall, though a few contributions suffer from confusing setups or overstuffed plots, most are skillfully crafted.

Not every story is game-changing, but even readers who think they dislike love triangles will find something to enjoy here.