Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Kito and Chester are preparing for their daughter's first date. Kito is calm, but Chester is a mess. Chester barely relaxes enough to meet Varsha's date, Sam. They assumed, because of the name, that Varsha was bringing a boy home, so they are surprised, and unprepared, when Sam turns out to be a girl. Between anger and hurt feelings, Kito and Chester learn the importance of not assuming things while Varsha learns that silence only harms.

This story is also included in Family Time Anthology.

 

Book Review

Assumptions can be anyone’s worst enemy, because they can be wrong and do those involved a great injustice. Assuming what your own children’s sexuality might be is amongst the worst minefields a parent can face, and one of the toughest battles to fight for a teenager. In a heteronormative society the standard expectation is for boys to date girls and girls to date boys. This is understandable coming from heterosexual parents (not right, but sort of explainable). But for homosexual parents to make the same “mistake” is a shocking revelation. This story looks at the impact of such a mistaken assumption and what happens when things come to a head.
 
Kito and Chester are a mixed race couple and have raised their daughter Vasha together. Both believe they are pretty open-minded and have always take care to include all their heritages into how they do things. Chester, especially, is very attached to Vasha and has a hard time accepting that she is going on her first date. At seventeen that should not be a surprise, but some parents have a harder time letting go than others. When Sam turns out to be a girl, Kito and Chester are shocked and Vasha is angry about their reaction. Both of them are angry at Vasha for not telling them. The potential for a huge mess is considerable, but reason prevails – barely.

If you like stories that challenge “accepted wisdom” and what might be considered normal, if explosive family situations around teenagers are your thing, and if you’re looking for a read that will make you think, then you might like this short story.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. The anthology this short story was published in has been provided by Torquere Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Short Story, 15 pages/3400 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	17-June-2015
Price	$2.49 ebook
Buy Link	http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=79_93&products_id=4418