Review: Pink by Lili Wilkinson

Pink by Lili Wilkinson

1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Wilkinson, Lili. 2011. Pink. New York: HarperTeen. ISBN 9780061926532

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

After transferring to Billy Hughes School for Academic Excellence, Ava feels like a new person. She can have a fresh start away from her overbearing and sophisticated girlfriend Chloe, and away from the stigma of being in a lesbian relationship at her old underperforming high school. Ava’s progressive parents have always been excited by the prospect of Ava being in a lesbian relationship and don’t understand that Ava is not exactly sure who she wants to date. Ava re-invents herself at Billy Hughes as a pink, sparkly, feminine teen who wishes to date any number of the handsome, popular boys. After failing at musical tryouts, Ava meets up with the stage crew, a group of misfits and “weirdoes” happy to be themselves. Ava is torn between her feelings for male stage crew member Sam and her girlfriend Chloe, and lies to them both about her confusion. She has to come clean to the people she loves and be honest with herself about that kind of person she wants to be.

3.    CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Australian writer Lili Wilkinson has created generally relatable characters dealing with typical teenage issues like dating, school pressure, bullying, sexual pressure, and sexual identity. The time period of Pink is not described but it assumed to be modern day Melbourne, Australia. Ava and her friends spend most of their time at school, shopping at the mall, or at trendy coffee shops like many modern teens.

Some descriptions of character personality traits seem a bit far-fetched, but that may be due some cultural differences between Australian and American teens. The focus of Pink is not on the typical elements that can be found in a culture, but rather how teens from various backgrounds interact with one another. Wilkinson has 2 characters in her novel as examples of how gay characters can be homophobic to one another for being “too gay.” At Ava’s new school, there are 2 openly gay teens. Jules, a member of the stage crew with Ava is described as well-groomed, dressed all in black “like Johnny Cash.” Wilkinson describes Miles, the other openly gay teen, as extremely flamboyant and in your face. Jules explains to Ava that there are 2 different types of gay: normal gay like himself and ghey (with an h) in which men wear women’s clothes, groom too much, and have a feminine walk like Miles.

Chloe, Ava’s girlfriend is extremely adult and sophisticated, almost unbelievably so. She is described as wearing all black, with dark black eyeliner. Chloe reads mature, adult literature, drinks coffee, and smokes cigarettes constantly. Ava and Chloe frequent a trendy coffeeshop Ava mockingly calls the “lesbian bat cave” and it is described by Ava as being “scattered with semo-goth emo lesbians drinking thick black coffee”. Sadly, Ava’s stage crew members are written as stereotypical nerdy kids that can be seen in many teen books and movies. The overweight, dorky kid, the female Star Trek nerd with braces, and the studious Asian boy are all stereotypical kids in the stage crew at Ava’s school.

Ava’s actions in the story do have major consequences for her, which is great for teens to read. When she lies to her Chloe about her new school and cheating on her with a boy, Chloe breaks up with her and Ava’s friends are also disappointed in her. They are not upset that she is struggling with her sexuality, but rather that she lied to them all and didn’t trust them with the truth. While Pink has some great messages of self-acceptance, the storylines wrap up a bit too neatly. Cynical teen readers may not enjoy the stereotypical characters, but will appreciate Ava’s search for her true identity.

4. AWARDS & REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Stonewall Honor Book 2012

Starred review in VOYA: “A witty, refreshing look at high school and adolescence that obliterates stereotypes along the way. Laugh-out-loud funny, endearing, and heartbreaking.”

Positive review in Booklist: “Written with a great deal of snarky wit, this Australian import never gets overly heavy despite all the hand-wringing. A refreshing addition to the LGBT oeuvre.”

Positive review in School Library Journal: ““An entertaining story about teen angst, sexual identity, and high school relationships from a promising debut author.”

5. CONNECTIONS

* Teacher notes for Pink: http://www.allenandunwin.com/_uploads/BookPdf/TeachersReview/9781741758344.pdf

* Other books by Lili Wilkinson:

Pocketful of Eyes. ISBN 9781742376196

The Not Quite Perfect Boyfriend. ISBN 9781742377650

Scatterheart. ISBN 9781846470776

* Other books for teens with themes of sexuality identity:

Chbosky, Stephen. The Perks of Being a Wallflower. ISBN 9781451696196

Kerr, M.E. Deliver Us From Evie. ISBN 9780780751279

Levithan, David. Boy Meets Boy. ISBN 9780375832994

Myracle, Lauren. Kissing Kate. ISBN 9780142408698

Peters, Julie Anne. Keeping You a Secret. ISBN 9780316009850

Wright, Bil. Putting Makeup on the Fat Boy. ISBN 9781416939962