Luna

Lunaby Julie Anne Peters

For years, Regan's brother Liam has been nursing a secret. By day, he is Liam, a passably typical boy of his age; at night, he transforms himself into Luna, his true, female self. Regan loves and supports her brother and she keeps his Liam/Luna secret. Things change, though, when Luna decides to emerge from her cocoon. She begins dressing like a girl in public; first at the mall; then at school; then at home. Regan worries that her brother's transgender identity is threatening her own slippery hold on normalcy. This serious, powerful teen novel was a National Book Award finalist for Young People's Literature. (goodreads.com)

I wanted to like this book, I truly did. Sadly it did not sit well with me for various reasons. I think the only thing I liked about the story was the subject matter. It was original and powerful and it's something that no one ever really wants to talk about or write about. In that I commend the author for tackling an issue that is normal to many but terrifying to others.My first problem with the book was the many flashbacks that Regan had regarding her brother and the clues that showed who he really was - a girl in a boy's body. There were too many flashbacks for me, especially since some weren't from all that far in the past and since Regan wasn't just discovering her brother's secret they seemed a little too much and distracted me from the story at hand. If it was to let the readers in on the clues then I think fewer flashback scenes would have been much more effective.My second problem stemmed from not finding a single character likable. The cast of Luna were some of the most selfish people I have ever read about, the biggest being Luna herself. The parents were messed up and dysfunctional. The mother was possibly the most self-involved characters I have ever read about. The father was a horrible macho stereotype, although the few attempts he did have to try and understand his son almost convinced me that they were sincere.But Luna. Oh, Luna. I don't care how trapped you feel you are, there are no excuses for things you did. I gave up on her in a particular scene where she lost her sister her only job and solace from her own family. Liam (Luna's male name) covers for Regan on a babysitting job but gets caught by the parents of the kids she's baby sitting - while trying on a negligee and jewelery that belong to the woman of the house! Oh my GODS! There was absolutely no reason for her to be so careless and disregarding of Regan's life and feelings. I'm surprised the parents didn't call the cops. What the hell? I thought waking Regan up every night so Luna could try on clothes and do make up was bad enough, but it was forgivable because I know Luna was suffering but the incident while babysitting was disgusting and thoughtless and mean. Then Luna shows up at Regan's school and doesn't think about how it will effect Regan again!The only thing I could think of was that in Luna's desperation to BE the girl she feels she is she loses all sense of everything else except being Luna. Sort of like a drug or alcohol addition. Addicts can be so desperate for a fix they will steal, lie and harm the ones they love to get what they need. I am wondering if there was supposed to be a correlation between the two. It would sort of make sense as to why Luna was so self centered when it came to being Luna and the fact that she constantly ruined her younger sister's life with her actions. Not just with petty embarrassment, but I think Luna asked and took way too much from Regan just to try and be herself.The baby sitting incident instantly made me hate Luna and I spent the rest of the book dreading what was coming. I no longer sympathised with Luna and I just wanted the book to be over. It's sad really because I started out with much sympathy and empathy for both characters.I wasn't expecting a happy ending at all for this story, but I was a little surprised by the ending that happened. It wasn't what I thought it would be and I don't know if I am happy with it or if I would have been happier with the ending I'd guessed. I think I was disgruntled by the ending because I really did not like Luna at that point and it just added to the string of selfish acts she was inflicting on her sister and others. But at the same time I think the ending was right for Luna and I hope that whatever she encounters will help her fit comfortably into her own skin and start to think of others for a change.Either way, she owes Regan BIG TIME for everything she's put her through. I don't know if I could forgive all of that at the age of fifteen. I know Regan loves her brother and she puts up with a lot, but I feel there should be a breaking point. Maybe the ending will put some distance between the selfish acts and the love and it will work out in the end.