Two Boys Kissing

Craig and Harry attempt to break the world record for longest kiss, which, in turn, affects the lives of the people around them. Narrated by a ghostly chorus of past generations of gay men who died of AIDS, Levithan's latest novel weaves together an informed (sometimes melodramatic) perspective on the past with the present-day stories of seven boys constructing their own sexual identities.

With broad scope and poignant emotional detail, Two Boys Kissing captures the inner lives, ongoing struggles, and diversity of today’s LGBT youth. The novel’s narrators are a Greek chorus of the past generation of gay men lost to AIDS. Solemn and eloquent yet uplifting and often funny, they act as voices of wisdom and remind readers of what has changed since their time and what hasn’t. Early on, they explain their role: “We do not want to haunt you too somberly. We don’t want our legacy to be gravitas . . . Your mistake would be to find our commonality in our dying. The living part mattered more.” Though the goal Harry and Craig have set for themselves seems straightforward enough, difficulties multiply: extreme fatigue sets in, Craig’s family discovers he’s gay via the live camera feed, and dozens of people begin to crowd around the boys, some to offer support and some to stop them. These developments raise the stakes considerably and make for engaging reading. The three other stories concern Cooper, a closeted boy whose parents discover his sexuality and kick him out of the house; Avery and Ryan, who meet each other at a gay prom; and Neil and Peter, a teen couple in a long-term relationship that becomes more complicated. Though the story lines rarely link up, the characters’ struggles echo one another deftly, creating surprising parallels and an inspiring sense of shared humanity. Like the author’s Boy Meets Boy, a landmark of LGBT and YA fiction, Two Boys Kissing is a bold, important novel that is bound to generate discussion and have an impact on many readers, regardless of their sexuality or gender.