Imogen, Obviously follows Imogen, who describes herself as hopelessly heterosexual but the world’s greatest ally. She’s never missed a Pride Alliance meeting, knows more about queer media than her little queer sister and even has two queer friends. But when one eventful weekend visiting her best friend Lili at college gets sidetracked by Imogen meeting Tessa, the chaotic, freckle-faced friend of Lili, Imogen starts to wonder if she ever really was straight to begin with.
This book. Honestly. I can’t fathom what it cost Becky to write this book, to give us this emotional rollercoaster of a story that hits so close to home, but I’m so incredibly grateful that she did. Rarely has a book ever felt so validating as Imogen, Obviously does. While I don’t want to take away too much of the story, I do want to point out just how massive of a feat it is to write a story that is both able to make you laugh out loud and sob because it holds up a mirror to society and all the things you wish were different in it. But honestly, who, if not Albertalli, could manage such a feat?
There are so many instances in this book that made me both angry and sad, not only for Imogen but for any human being who has ever been told that they’re not queer just because they didn’t fit the mould or had to struggle with people invalidating their experiences and feelings. The amount of gatekeeping and queerbaiting that we still have to live with is terrifying and at times it’s haunting how accurately Albertalli portrays the realities of forced outings of celebrities, gatekeeping by queer people who should be your biggest champions in finding your identity, and so many other discussions around queer culture. You can tell how much love and fear and fierce protectiveness went into writing this story and it makes it all the more emotional and invigorating.
From poignant explorations of questioning who you are because of little moments that add up over the years to deep dives into whether friends are really friends if they try to decide your identity and life journey for you, not to mention tell you that you are not queer just because they say so, this book is just filled with a plethora of moments that will make you feel understood and question your own relationships with so-called allies.
So many of the thought processes Imogen has in this story are ones I had myself when figuring out my identity and I can already imagine readers pointing to a certain passage and going “oh, wait. That’s what I thought” or “This is so me!” which, in and of itself, is so hauntingly beautiful. To be able to connect to a character so deeply, no matter whether you land on the same queer identity as Imogen does or somewhere else entirely, is an absolute gift. I think Imogen is going to help so many young readers feel seen and understood, especially in this tricky day and age where you’re constantly bombarded with messages and commentary on who you should be or what queerness should look like. Imogen’s story reminds you that it’s okay if you took longer in life to figure out that you’re queer. It reminds you that it’s okay if you only ever thought of yourself as an ally until all the tiny hints started to add up. It reminds you that it’s okay if you’re struggling with accepting that you’re queer because of the individuals that have been gatekeeping the queer community. And last but not least, it’s a reminder that we all struggle with feeling invalidated sometimes—from without and from within the community. But as long as you find your right tribe, you’ll be a-okay. I don’t think there’s a better message to put into a book and it’s exactly why this story will stay with readers for a long time.
Imogen, Obviously serves as a reminder that you matter, that you are valid, and that you are queer enough, no matter what others try to tell you. A love letter to finding your place at your own pace, the joy of queer found family, and the messy, chaotic journey of life, Imogen is sure to become your new best friend.
Imogen, Obviously is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of May 2nd.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Imogen Scott may be hopelessly heterosexual, but she’s got the World’s Greatest Ally title locked down.
She’s never missed a Pride Alliance meeting. She knows more about queer media discourse than her very queer little sister. She even has two queer best friends. There’s Gretchen, a fellow high school senior, who helps keep Imogen’s biases in check. And then there’s Lili—newly out and newly thriving with a cool new squad of queer college friends.
Imogen’s thrilled for Lili. Any ally would be. And now that she’s finally visiting Lili on campus, she’s bringing her ally A game. Any support Lili needs, Imogen’s all in.
Even if that means bending the truth, just a little.
Like when Lili drops a tiny queer bombshell: she’s told all her college friends that Imogen and Lili used to date. And none of them know that Imogen is a raging hetero—not even Lili’s best friend, Tessa.
Of course, the more time Imogen spends with chaotic, freckle-faced Tessa, the more she starts to wonder if her truth was ever all that straight to begin with. . .
