THE MINUS-ONE CLUB

Grief suffuses Dion Graham's voice as he narrates high school sophomore Kermit's induction into a club no one wants to join: the club in which everyone has lost a family member. Kermit's older sister, Sheila, the only one in his Baptist family who knew he's gay, was killed by a drunk driver just days ago. He finds support in the club--and, with the charismatic, self-destructive Matt, a mutual attraction. Sheila's imagined voice, given snark by Graham, offers commentary as Kermit grapples with his sorrow, his faith, and his despair at ever coming out to his homophobic parents. The story's "club" device is occasionally disorienting, but short chapters and a quick pace carry listeners along. An empathetic note and a resource list conclude the audiobook. Sad and affirming in equal measure. V.S. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2023]