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Angles and Curves
Steve is a student at a rural Montana high school who is taking twelfth grade for the second time. There he meets Heather and Gretchen, two elves in a relationship who are outcasts just like him.
Though elvish kingdoms are formally recognized by the federal government, the Supreme Court doesn’t see elves as human, so they don’t benefit from the same basic rights that others do. Steve is transgendered, and can empathize with the elves’ plight. Friendships are forged between him and the elves when they realize all three have had problems with a bully named Melvin and the jocks at school, who are known to sexually assault elves.
Despite his age, Steve lives alone, and has to produce a “parent” for parent/teacher day. He enlists the help of his elvish friends to hire an adult, but their scheme backfires when they’re caught soliciting an undercover policewoman named Sara Raimi. However, with their newfound connection to Sara, they look to find a way to catch Melvin and his cohorts.
Angles and Curves is a fresh and enticing story about racism, sexism, and sexuality, and what it means to be human after all.
Though elvish kingdoms are formally recognized by the federal government, the Supreme Court doesn’t see elves as human, so they don’t benefit from the same basic rights that others do. Steve is transgendered, and can empathize with the elves’ plight. Friendships are forged between him and the elves when they realize all three have had problems with a bully named Melvin and the jocks at school, who are known to sexually assault elves.
Despite his age, Steve lives alone, and has to produce a “parent” for parent/teacher day. He enlists the help of his elvish friends to hire an adult, but their scheme backfires when they’re caught soliciting an undercover policewoman named Sara Raimi. However, with their newfound connection to Sara, they look to find a way to catch Melvin and his cohorts.
Angles and Curves is a fresh and enticing story about racism, sexism, and sexuality, and what it means to be human after all.
246 pages, Paperback
First published May 3, 2014
126 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 27, 2016
I was surprised how fast I got through this. I enjoyed the teenage angst of the main character Steve. It's always the tough question of how a loner is going to deal with interacting with others, esp. if they are elves.
June 2, 2015
QUILTBAG Content: Well, for starters, we have a pair of attractive young schoolgirls making out under a tree. The first surprise is that they’re elves, and the second is that even though Gretchen is bisexual, Heather is entirely straight. Yeah, that’s right, it’s complicated. As for Steve (it takes about 30 pages before either of the girls think to ask his name), he’s an asexual teenager who may be legitimately transgender, or who may just be a socially convenient cross-dresser. Yeah, I told you it was complicated.
Fetish Content: Technically, I guess you could say this has some fetish appeal – especially regarding cute little bisexual elven Princesses - but certainly no fetish content. It really doesn’t go any further than the suggestion of kissing or fondling.
Literary Quality: Surprisingly, this was a very well-written story that kept me intrigued right through to the end. It’s a touch surreal in its overlap of fantasy and reality, blurring the borders between humans and elves, but it actually comes across as rather normal and natural. The characters are a bit odd, but deliberately so, and their relationships are nicely developed. The language and dialogue seemed a bit mature for high school students, but that also means it’s refreshingly free of mind-numbing slang.
Overall: The story borders on the preposterous in a few areas, particularly in the portrayal of Steve’s absent father and the role of the Deputy Pam, but that’s really a minor quibble. It’s really a magical sort of story that manages to do a lot with the material. There’s almost a Harry Potter sort of feel to it, but for an older (and queer) audience. There’s some real darkness to it, and an air of sorrow throughout, but I have to give George Berger credit for seeing it through to its logical conclusion. This genuinely surprised me, and I’d love to see if find a wider audience.
As reviewed by Trevor at Bending the Bookshelf
Fetish Content: Technically, I guess you could say this has some fetish appeal – especially regarding cute little bisexual elven Princesses - but certainly no fetish content. It really doesn’t go any further than the suggestion of kissing or fondling.
Literary Quality: Surprisingly, this was a very well-written story that kept me intrigued right through to the end. It’s a touch surreal in its overlap of fantasy and reality, blurring the borders between humans and elves, but it actually comes across as rather normal and natural. The characters are a bit odd, but deliberately so, and their relationships are nicely developed. The language and dialogue seemed a bit mature for high school students, but that also means it’s refreshingly free of mind-numbing slang.
Overall: The story borders on the preposterous in a few areas, particularly in the portrayal of Steve’s absent father and the role of the Deputy Pam, but that’s really a minor quibble. It’s really a magical sort of story that manages to do a lot with the material. There’s almost a Harry Potter sort of feel to it, but for an older (and queer) audience. There’s some real darkness to it, and an air of sorrow throughout, but I have to give George Berger credit for seeing it through to its logical conclusion. This genuinely surprised me, and I’d love to see if find a wider audience.
As reviewed by Trevor at Bending the Bookshelf
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews