The Backlot Gay Book Forum discussion

Here’s to Us
By Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
Belzer & Bray, 2021
Five stars

Well, this ended in tears. Mine. At sixty-six, I am proof that what happened to me in college is still as vivid and intense as it was all those 45 years ago. Albertalli and Silvera continue to startle me, not with their good collaborative writing, but with the way they can channel the minds and hearts of young gay men, when I have trouble fathoming the thoughts of my twenty-something children.

The two main thrusts of this book are (1) relationships among college kids and (2) career hopes and dreams at the very beginning of adulthood. Obviously, the first gets the most attention, but the second was a pleasant clear-eyed, surprise.

As either Ben or Arthur says at some point toward the emotional grand finale, “someone is going to get hurt.” This is a book about the pain of becoming mature, of figuring out what the important relationships in your life are. It was uncomfortable for me—as intended, I’m sure—because the pain is still too real, even though I didn’t actually go through much pain in this regard. I saw it happen, I know how it affected others.

My life as a newly-out gay man in the mid-1970s was really more like Dylan and Samantha’s—and these two are such hugely important figures in this novel. I came out and met my “one” on the same night. But my friends had much more complicated stories. Dylan is the straight male best friend I never had—still don’t have. I don’t think my generation of gay men really held onto straight male best friends the way young people today can and do. And Dylan is the best. Hilarious, heartwarming, genuinely loving and generous of heart. I am more jealous of Dylan than of any other character in the book.

Oddly, the other thing that bothered me a lot during the book was Ben’s magnum opus, his fantasy novel about Wizards, as well as Mario’s skill as a scriptwriter. Somehow it worried me that these two adorable, lovable young men were so clearly set on what their professional destiny was going to be. I knew what I wanted to be when I was 19, too, but I didn’t have a clue how it was going to play out.

Albertalli and Silvera handle this really well, with both optimism and realism. As a professional writer all my life, but an avocational novelist on the side, I know the struggle and uncertainty of the publishing world—I know how many great gay-themed books never see the light of day in the mainstream press. I am eternally grateful for niche publishers and self-publishing platforms.

I never cease to be amazed that the young-adult formula can continually be fresh and revealing of the depth and power of human emotion. It is something of which I will never grow tired.