Books about friendship are not often described as love stories, but this is one.
At the age of twelve, Nell has accepted that hers will likely be a friendless existence. She’s not interested in boys or makeup or competing to see who can eat the least – so fitting in at her all-girls’ school feels impossible.
But then, a new girl arrives at school.
Eve has short hair like a boy’s, a wicked sense of humour and an unshakable confidence that she will find her place in the world. And the moment they meet, Nell begins to rethink the whole friendless existence thing.
As they grow into themselves, Nell and Eve will love each other and hurt each other – through the chlorine-scented savagery of adolescence; long, drunken nights in share houses and gay bars; the highs and lows of parenthood.
And always, despite unspoken feelings and sexual confusion, they will choose each other. Again, and again. As friends, as lovers, as family.
Review
Reading Chosen Family, I had a small realisation: I’m a sucker for love stories (romantic, platonic, or otherwise) that follow characters over a long period of time, especially if they don’t follow standard romance story beats. And this novel fell precisely into that category.
Chosen Family catapulted me back to high school in the early 2000s. In their early teens, Nell befriends new girl Eve, and the two form an intimate friendship – but over time, Eve realises she wants something more. Yet the two girls exist in the special brand of homophobia that was inherent to the 2000s, and their friendship falls apart. Rebuilding from this adolescent betrayal takes time, even though the old wounds might now be scars. It was a pleasure seeing Eve transition from guilt and shame around her sexuality, to experiencing queer joy as she finds meaningful friendships with fellow university students, Tae and Marcus, and her adult friendship with Nell.
As you might expect, family is the core theme of this book, in all its complexities. Both main characters must contend with challenging parents, as Nell’s parents fail to show her unconditional love, and Eve must parent her own mother. Over time, both find the loving families they are craving with their friends instead. And then, we also see Eve and Nell make the choice to become mothers in their early 20s, raising a baby as friends, a choice that is met with scepticism by several other characters.
My criticisms are minor. Though there are multiple point of view characters, this is really Eve’s story. I would have liked more of Nell’s point of view, especially in her adult years. The novel hints at mental ill-health, but without spending as much time in Nell’s head as Eve’s, much of this is speculative. Further, there were a few moments that pulled me out of the narrative – an occasional anachronistic pop culture reference, some financial difficulties that didn’t quite add up. Yet these issues were not so dramatic that I was pulled out of the story; I remained invested.
I highly recommend Chosen Family for those seeking an epic, queer love story about all the different types of families, the power of forgiveness, and becoming your authentic self.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster Australia who provided a copy of the novel in exchange for a review.
Review by Elise
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