Teen/YA Review: This Is Our Place

In April, I was looking for a YA audio book and something set in another country (I'm trying to read more globally for my Travel the World in Books Challenge this year). I found just the book in This Is Our Place by Vitor Martins, a unique novel set in Brazil about three different gay teens who each lived in the same house, in three different decades.

One of the unique aspects of this original novel is that the house narrates the story. In 2000, a teen girl named Ana celebrates the new millennium (and the absence of any real Y2K problems) with her father. On New Year's Day, though, Ana's dad breaks the news to her that they have to move to Rio de Janeiro for his job. Ana is devastated. Not only is this the only house she's ever lived in, but she will also have to leave behind her girlfriend (that her father doesn't know about).

In 2010, Greg moves into that same house to live with his aunt temporarily. He knows his parents are probably getting divorced, but they never talk to him about it and have sent him to his aunt's house while they figure things out. Greg's aunt is a film buff who runs a video rental store out of the garage, so Greg helps her out with the shop and with her dog, Keanu Reeves. Clearly, video is on the way out, so Greg also helps her brainstorm how she can continue to share her love of movies. The boy who delivers his lunch every day is really cute and they talk more and more each day, so Greg wonders if he might get his first kiss here. His parents don't know he's gay, but maybe he can tell his aunt.

March 2020 marks the beginning of the pandemic, and Brazil is in lockdown. Beto and his mother are stuck in the house together, and soon, his older sister joins them, as the isolation of her single apartment in the city becomes too much for her. As they each struggle to deal with the pandemic, individually and together, Beto misses being able to go outside with his camera to take photos, so he starts taking photos from his window. He's been texting and interacting with a boy online that he likes, but they can't meet in person, so he's not sure it's mutual.

The narrative moves back and forth between these three main characters in three different time periods, cleverly telling their individual stories while also telling the story of the house itself. Though a bit quirky, the house actually makes a great narrator, seeing and hearing everything that happens within its walls. The details and differences in the three decades adds another layer to this intriguing novel. Each of the three teens is gay and struggling with different issues personally and with their families. The three warm and thoughtful stories come together in a wonderful way toward the end. I was completely engrossed in this delightful novel about life, love, and family.

320 pages, PUSH

Scholastic Audio

This book fits in the following 2023 Reading Challenges:

 

Diversity Challenge

Travel the World in Books - Brazil

 

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