Miles Away from You

This is a tragic story about a teenage boy trying to work through his grief over losing his girlfriend to suicide. The story focuses on Miles, who is dealing with his girlfriend, Vivian’s, tragic suicide attempt and subsequent coma. Vivian’s black parents do not accept their transgendered child for who she is, nor do they accept her relationship with the white Miles. Miles gets sent by his lesbian moms to Iceland, and while there, he writes messages to her in which he explores what he wants in life as he works to overcome his guilt and move on with life. Much of the book focuses on Miles’s attempts to get laid. There is some stereotyping, sexism, homophobia, white privilege, and ethnocentrism that takes away from the power of the story that could have been told here. Neither Miles nor Vivian are particularly likable, although Miles is somewhat well developed as a character. The writing is clear, but I don’t think it is as well researched as it should have been. This is not a story I would recommend for anyone under the age of 16, and even then I would provide warnings about its content as I have mentioned above. Definitely a book for those who aren’t bothered by strong language, stereotyping, and unlikeable characters.