 | Let Them Stare: A Novel Author: Van Ness, Jonathan | |
| Price: $17.24 | ||
Summary:
Sully is ready to get out of Hearst, Pennsylvania. With a fashion internship secured, the gender-nonconforming eighteen-year-old is trading in their stifling small town for the big city. Sully even sells their beloved car. When Sully's internship goes up in smoke, they're trapped in Hearst and end up buying a vintage handbag from the thrift store for comfort--only to be haunted by the dead drag performer who used to own it.
Reviews:
Booklist (05/01/25)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 05/01/2025 Mary, sis, hunny—it’s just a haunted handbag. It might also be Sully’s ticket out of Hearst, Pennsylvania, if they can get the ghost, Rufus, to vacate the bag. Like any upstanding ghost, Rufus has unfinished business; he also has a bad case of ghost amnesia, so Sully needs to dig into their small town’s history to help Rufus find peace. Their research also makes them realize that, despite being the only nonbinary person in town, Sully might have a place in Hearst after all. Without overwhelming the narrative with exposition, there is a plentiful amount of queer history discussed, dually serving to educate the reader and to help Sully discover the context that has created a world where they can exist as an out, queer person. Despite a veneer of mystery, the plot is largely driven by Sully’s growth rather than action or intrigue, making this a choice more suited to character-driven readers. A surprisingly light read, this is an excellent entry point for readers curious about history and open to the paranormal. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.
