I have had this book on my radar for as long as I can remember. Definitely long before the 2017 adaptation (which I still need to watch), but I’m not sure when or how I heard of it. I’m sure it was back in the early 2010s not long after it was originally written, and I was desperate to find LGBT love stories. What a world we’re in now where there’s a plethora of all genres and all tastes!
Something Like Summer is the tale of the tumultuous relationship between openly gay Ben who is a total nerd and artsy and the new kid Tim who’s moved to town and immediately falls in with the popular kids. What starts out as an unrequited crush quickly turns into a DL friends with benefits and Bell takes it from there through a lifetime.
There was so much right with this novel, but at the same time there was so much wrong that it bothered me. This novel is from Ben’s perspective, and I adored that. I could empathize with him, I could see my younger self in his story, but there was so much that was left out because of this.
Enséñame a volar, mi mariposa hermosa. (86)
I don’t think that the novel was bad, I think Bell tried to do too much. The story starts in high school and spans decades with huge time jumps that make sense to the story, but also leave so much out. For as long as the novel is and how much Bell included, there is still so much unwritten. The fact that he immediately turned around and wrote Something like Autumn and Something Like Winter, telling us Jace and Tim’s perspectives tells me that he also realized this. I can’t help but wonder if the novel would’ve been more powerful with a split interwoven narrative.
Don’t get me wrong, there were moments of absolute beauty and awe. The first time Ben and Tim hooked up—though rushed and hectic—was perfection. Ben’s loss after college was heart wrenching. The scene when they reconnect later in life had me holding my breath and swearing at the same time. Ben’s emotional rollercoaster and overwhelming desire to just be accepted and loved gave me life throughout. This passage really hit home:
All of this left a bad taste in Ben’s mouth, reminding him too much of high school. He had waited so long to be free of that environment, where every guy he wanted was straight or closeted. The number of openly gay students in college appeared limitless, but still Ben was attracted to those he couldn’t have and he didn’t understand why. Was it a fear of commitment or a fetish for forbidden meat? Probably neither. He wanted nothing more than a serious long-term relationship. Perhaps his particular tastes couldn’t be satisfied by anyone, straight or gay. (146)
Growing up closeted in the South, coming out in college, and seeing everyone sleep around (whatever their sexuality) was a lot to take in and watch. Don’t get me wrong I went through a hook-up phase but seeing Ben’s experience written on the page pining after the straight boy, pining after the coupled up guy, thinking maybe it was something with me or that what I wanted wasn’t realistic. That hit home.
Recommendation: I wanted to love this so much more than I did. The story is really well written, the characters are well written, and it is one of those love stories that is timeless. However, I think this novel tried to do too much. It was too long, too all encompassing, too detailed, too much of a lifetime and not enough of a moment. What Bell wrote into one novel could’ve been split out into three distinct novels and three types of love story and I would’ve 100% been here for it. That being said it seems that he did ultimately do this, but by writing a dozen additional novels telling different parts of the story from different perspectives. Unfortunately, I’m most likely not going to pursue reading those because this one, as engaging as it was, really was a slog towards the end and I lost all joy and excitement I felt at the beginning faded. (And yes, some of that was probably intentional as the characters aged, but I’d rather it happen in a later book in a series than in a single novel.)
Opening Line: “This is not a coming-out story.”
Closing Line: “And so they began again.” (Whited out to avoid spoilers, highlight to read.)