Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher

Sexuality is a powerful force in the world. What does it mean to be male or female? Is it physical appearance? Is it the emotions and thoughts on the inside of a person? It is a confusing thing sometimes. When you are a young adult trying to sort out who you are and where you belong in the world, thoughts of sex can be overwhelming and make life all the more puzzling.

Logan is still recovering from breaking up with Brenda, his girlfriend of four years. He thought they would always be together, but she cheated on him. Enter Sage, the new girl in school who breezes into biology class with confidence like Logan has never seen. She is nothing like anyone else in the small Missouri town and Logan is immediately drawn to her.

What confuses Logan is her reluctance to act upon some of the obvious feelings she has for him. She will touch him flirtatiously one moment but pull away at the beginning of a kiss. The more he learns of her strict parents and their double standard between Sage and her younger sister the more frustrated Logan becomes.

The secret Sage must finally reveal is that she is a boy. At least she was born that way - she considers herself a girl even though physically she isn't. I knew this going in to the story and the tension was almost unbearable as I waited for Logan to find out the truth. This reveal is only beginning to of the story and the complicated relationship between Logan and Sage. It is a journey with no easy answers as Logan questions his attraction to Sage and worries about how he will be perceived if the truth ever gets out. Sage must deal with the fact that she cannot truly live the life she wants and needs.

This book is incredible. I don't know why it took me so long to read it since I loved Brian Katcher's Playing with Matches. The characters and the situations are so gut wrenchingly believable. There are only a few moments of peace between Logan and Sage because her situation is never far from either of their minds.

This is a subject not often explored in young adult books. I am thankful Brian Katcher wrote such a great book to open our eyes to the struggle transgender people must face.

For more information about this book, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog or the author's site.