Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Green, John and David Levithan. Will Grayson, Will Grayson. New York: Dutton, 2010. 336 p. eBook.

 

Will Grayson lives in the suburbs of Chicago, where he leads a quiet, fearful existence of “shut up and stay invisible.”

Will Grayson also lives in the suburbs of Chicago, where he leads a clinically depressed, lonely, homosexual existence of “what’s the point?”

Through a series of serendipitous coincidences, the Will Graysons meet one night.  One Will Grayson begins to date the other Will Grayson’s best friend, Tiny Cooper. Tiny who is, by and by, exceedingly large and VERY open about his homosexuality, becomes central in the lives of the Will Graysons, as they discover who they truly are.  If that weren’t enough, Tiny Cooper has captivated the school by creating a musical about himself, his homosexuality, and the people who encompass his world.  There are even lyrics in the book, so the reader can sing along with the epic-ness that is Tiny Cooper.

Fans of John Green and/or David Levithan will not need much convincing to pick up the novel.  True to form, fans can pick out the chapters that are chock-full of Greenery, as compared to the chapters covered by Levithan.  In addition to the all-star writing team that draws in loyal readers, the characters that are created by these two literary geniuses are truly powerful.  Tiny Cooper is almost a caricature of himself, with his over-the-top personality and openly, unquestionably proud attitude toward homosexuality.  Described as a “refrigerator of a person,” readers have plenty of personality to visualize through the mind’s eye. 

And perhaps strong characters like Tiny lead to a weakness of the novel, which is a lack of connection with the other romantic venture in the novel between Jane and Will Grayson.  Jane never seems quite real, especially next to the Will Graysons and Tiny Cooper, all of which seem so flesh-and-bone that I keep checking my phone for a text message from one of them.  This may be because there was not enough room in the novel for another strong character or because the focus on romantic ventures was placed firmly on Will and Tiny, rather than on the done-so-many-times-before boy meets girl relationships that Will and Jane represent. 

Whether hetero or homosexual, teens will find a character that they can relate to, revile in, or be revolted by in Will Grayson, Will Grayson.  A sulky teen may find comfort in the fact that Will Grayson has such a depression-filled, bad morning that he finds solace in being able to drown his Cocoa Puffs in milk.   One may understand how Will can love and loathe his best friend, all at once.  And all readers may learn, as the other Will Grayson found out, that sometimes things need to be said aloud, rather than staying silent and invisible.