The Best Boy Ever Made

by Rachel Eliason

Alecia Mueller has a plan for her life. She's going to find and marry the One, go to college for horticulture, be a farmwife, and never live more than a mile away from her best friend since childhood, Sam Oleson, the biggest tomboy in town. Her sister, Britney, on the other hand, only cares about cheerleading, the latest gossip, and Alecia's boyfriend, Jeremy. Alecia doesn't understand why her mother seems to think that Brit's got the right idea--she's only pulling Cs, and if she'd rather raise goats with Sam than go to parties with the boys from school, why wouldn't she? The boys from school bring kegs to their parties and try to get in her pants, and Alecia's waiting for the One. Another thing that Alecia's mom doesn't get is that Alecia puts loyalty before politics, and so when Sam comes out as transgender, Alecia doesn't hesitate to stick by her friend's side. As a country girl raised Catholic and conservative, Alecia has a lot to learn as Sam starts coming out at school and preparing to transition. Alecia's suddenly got a lot on her mind, including the meaning of her ongoing attraction to Sam, her mother's wholehearted rejection of anything queer, her favorite great-grandmother's ailing health, the consequences of her sister's partygoing ways, and an upcoming district debate about gay marriage.

The Best Boy Ever Made was a sweet story overall, and Alecia was a likeable character with her steadfast support of Sam, even when she wasn't totally sure what that entailed. She also comes to switch pronouns for Sam without being asked, which was nice (it having been totally clear which ones Sam wanted). Some of the plot seemed a little bit forced--Alecia's attraction to Sam wasn't well integrated. It was implied that this was on purpose; Alecia says she hasn't admitted it (to us) yet and now will have to come clean. But she also says that this had caused them to drift apart, and because the first time we meet Sam, he's fetching Alecia to check on their goats and to come out, we don't really see any of that, which would have been helpful. At least a one or two awkward meetings at school where Alecia bemoans their distance and implies that it was her fault would have done a lot for the story. Alecia's lack of internal anguish over anything but Sam's wellbeing, the debate, and her Grandma Becca also wasn't particularly believable--surely a girl raised by parents who won't even allow discussion of gay marriage in the house would have more of a negative gut reaction to Sam's coming out, and more apprehension concerning acting on her feelings? Sam, however, was a true-blue character, and the tension between Sam's 'I have to do this, no matter the social consequences' and Alecia's 'They're going to hurt you, what harm would waiting do?' was expertly handled so as not to make the reader facepalm at either one. Brit's story was also very well woven in, though a tender moment before the big showdown would have helped. The end felt a bit tied-up-in-a-bow, but thankfully at least one major thing (won't say what for spoilers) was left unhappily resolved, and it was the most crucial to do so for. Who knows, maybe they pull those kinds of stunts in the country? The only other thing I had to complain about was the syntax--is it a country thing to leave out half your contractions, or did Eliason just not have a good sense of natural speech? 'I am not ready for that, and neither are you' just doesn't flow unless you're a Vulcan. None of this totally ruined my suspension of disbelief, though, and some readers may find a deviation from typical plot refreshing.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Project upshot: I'm a little disappointed--I was hoping to use this book as one of my touchstone books for the conference. I may still end up doing so, but I'm definitely going to have to use more than one if I do that. It's closely related to my story in that it's about an FTM transition (mine is an FTN, female to neutral, but it touches on the idea of going FTM first, and where am I going to find something that specific?) and about the relationship between the trans person and their best friend. I'd prefer something that I don't feel like I know how to improve, though. Still, I'm super excited to have finished my first book!
Also, style tribute goes to my old friend the Ink Mage at http://inkmagic.blogspot.com/. Unfortunately, she no longer runs the site, but it's definitely worth reading through the back entries if you want book recommendations in fantasy.