Luna was released in 2004, so in terms of an "in case you missed it" read, you would have really had to miss it, BUT I still want to give it a couple minutes of my blogging time because I think it's an incredibly worthwhile book. In addition to being a pretty enjoyable read, it is also the kind of book that can serve as an invaluable tool. Now, it wouldn't be my first go to book for starting the conversation about issues of transgender if for no other reason than the protagonist is not trans. the story is about Regan more than Luna (Regan being Luna's sister) and Regan's struggle to come to grips with her sister's identity. For me, that's an important perspective and it's a great story, but when discussing the struggles that trans people face, I'd certainly rather hears it from the perspective of the person living that struggle.
This book is a hard read. For me, the hardest part of reading this text was trying to have empathy for Regan; at times, her selfishness was so over the top that it made her pretty hard to take. I also think that young adults could relate to this story and Regan's struggles a little better than I can because at 33 I'm far enough removed from high school that even though I can logically remember how important things like boys and popularity felt in high school, they just seem so frivolous to me when comparing them to Luna's struggle. And that was my big problem, folks: there was no need to compare the two struggles. Luna's struggle is hers; Regan's struggle is hers. They are both valid and real . . . but that doesn't stop me from being far more compassionate about what Luna is going through while transitioning than Regan's constant worry about what Luna's identity will do to her popularity at school.
The upside of Regan's voice: it was authentic. I can't deny that. People are inherently selfish and it's completely believable that she would be more concerned with her own life than her sister's life. Absolutely. As she should be. Regan was really well-developed even if she was a pain in the butt: she was angry and resentful that people crossed boundaries that she never set. She was self-conscious. She was afraid. She just felt incredibly real and raw; on the flip side, Luna, the titular character, was not as well-developed and often felt overly obtuse or empty. I wasn't really happy about the way Luna was depicted because it constantly felt like she was unaware of anyone else's feelings.
Moving past characters, though, this book was really good. Seriously. Easy read, deeply entertaining, hard to put down. It wasn't so much what you would classically consider a page turner; there wasn't a lot of suspense or anything. It was just really hard not to be invested in what was going on for these people. There was also a nicely balanced blend of humor, drama, and romance.
Overall: 4/5 stars, would read.
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