Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Before I left on vacation I read Freak Show by James St. James. It's about Billy Bloom, a teenage drag queen (or, rather, a full-on 90's club kid) plopped down in a conservative Florida private school for the rich and troubled. Billy reminded me a little of Kitten Braden from Breakfast On Pluto, especially in the beginning, but Billy is a little more self-aware than Kitten and usually dresses to provoke a reaction or to make a statement with his elaborate costumes. The book doesn't shy away from the hostile and sometimes violent responses Billy encounters from his fellow students, but there is plenty of room for humor and even optimism. The writing style is vintage St. James, very breathless, slightly hysterical, and full of comedic exaggeration which I enjoy, but some people find annoying, so be forewarned.
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