Jordan and Nathan couldn’t be more different, but when order and chaos collide, opposites attract. Jordan is a bit of an oddball at school. He likes rules, routine, old sci-fi novels, and is often the victim of his bully’s torment. When new student Nathan joins the school, he wears down Jordan’s walls and, with his love, empowers Jordan to stand up for himself.

Not Not Normal shows readers that sometimes the qualities we need most can be found in and learned from the friends around us. We just need to let them in. Embracing your differences and facing the unknown can be scary, but with true friends and support, you can handle just about anything.

This short, “rapid read” novel features two 16-year-old boys with very different personalities who fall in love. One (Nathan, a new kid) is well out of the closet and rather over-the-top assertive; he takes no prisoners when it comes to those who would attempt to bully him or put down queerness. The other (protagonist Jordan) is shy and fearful, has yet to embrace his queerness and suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder, bullying and panic attacks. He even has a fear of public bathrooms and public speaking.

It’s a story that will build confidence in anyone who feels so “different” that they sometimes feel they’re simply “not normal.” Indeed, the reader learns actual coping mechanisms for that.

We see everything through Jordan’s third-person point of view. He’s trying to decide when or if to come out and he wavers between excitement and wariness over his attraction to Nathan.

Both boys exhibit strong character arcs in the story, which makes it a rewarding read; they complement each other nicely.

Interestingly, both boys suffer from parental loss: Jordan’s mother died and Nathan’s dad left. Worse, they blame themselves for these tragedies. And yet, the author fails to truly explore this trauma, spending barely a few paragraphs on them, in a curiously bland and hurried way.

Another negative is the story’s bully, Brody, a cardboard character with absolutely no personality or purpose other than to bully the boys in predictable ways on occasion. Similarly, Jordan’s father is underdeveloped as a character.

Then there’s Jordan’s friend Emma, a lively girl who serves as Jordan’s protector and ally. And a janitor who does the same.

The climax is disappointing, in that Jordan, Nathan and friends present a play for the student body that requires a kiss between Jordan and Nathan. This is the coming-out moment to which the entire novel has been building up, and yet it unfolds with almost no dialogue and only observed action, which truly robs it of power. That’s called telling rather than showing, a weakness in writing.

Even so, the novel carries us right along and we can’t help but care about these boys. I love the title, which broadcasts the message that people like Jordan are “not not normal.” It’s a heartfelt tale even if the writing lacks verve. And it offers important reflection points. It’s recommended both for straight and queer readers.

– Pam Withers