In
BOY GIRL BOY Larry, Teresa and Elliot are an inseparable threesome
who spend all their time together. The rest of the world sees them
as a unit, boy-girl-boy. They have always dreamed of moving to
California after high school, coming up with elaborate plans about
where they will live, what car they will drive, and what jobs they
will work. With high school ending and the possibilities of adult
life appearing on the horizon, each begins to wonder who they are
when they are apart, or how to tell the others of their secret
talents and ambitions that don't fit with the group plan.

Larry is gay and still coming to terms with his sexuality. His
friends accept his sexuality, but he's not sure he can introduce
his new lover to them. Teresa is athletic, always running from the
things that frighten her, and frustrated that the two most
important men in her life don't appreciate her romantically. Elliot
is a basketball star who secretly feels much smarter and happier
when he spends time away from his two best friends.

Each of the characters has some difficult aspect relating to their
proper families. Larry's mother is a medium. Elliot's parents are
extremely religious. Teresa's mother abandoned her with her abusive
father. There is a sense that they turn to one another for support.
The insularity of their friendship protects them from those things
that might harm them, but it also prevents them from growing in the
outside world.

BOY GIRL BOY divides the narration among each of the characters,
rotating between each voice. The exploration of the friendship is
insightful, effectively capturing the intensity of adolescent
attachment, as well as the relief each character feels at finally
getting room to breathe. However, it lacks some of the anguish that
occurs as friendships end or change. The characters in this book
are also particularly lucky that they are all ready to end one
thing and begin another at the same time. Both Larry and Elliot
have new relationships by the end of the book, while Teresa seems
to be overcoming an eating disorder and starts tutoring.

Ron Koertge, author of numerous books for young adults, has a
reputation for writing about unusual relationships between young
people without relying on stereotypes or contrived endings. His
book STONER & SPAZ about the friendship between a wild party
girl and a boy with cerebral palsy is convincing, moving and
realistic. BOY GIRL BOY doesn't have the same narrative or
emotional punch, but is in many ways more optimistic. The book
reads like a reassuring fable, promising that the inevitability of
change doesn't always have to mean the end of all previous dreams
and friendships.

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