Idlewild

A Novel

By: James Frankie Thomas

Narrated by: Kristen DiMercurio

A darkly funny story of two adults looking back on their intense teenage friendship, in a queer, trans, and early-Internet twist on the Manhattan prep school novel

Idlewild is a tiny, artsy Quaker high school in lower Manhattan. Students call their teachers by their first names, there are no grades, and every day begins with 20 minutes of contemplative silence in the Meetinghouse. It is during one of those meetings that an airplane hits the Twin Towers.

For two Idlewild outcasts, 9/11 serves as the first day of an intense, 18-month friendship. Fay is prickly, aloof, and obsessed with gay men; Nell is shy, sensitive, and obsessed with Fay. The two of them bond fiercely and spend all their waking hours giddily parsing their environment for homoerotic subtext. Then, during rehearsals for the fall play, they notice two sexually ambiguous boys who are potential candidates for their exclusive Invert Society. The pairs become mirrors of one another and drive each other to make choices that they'll regret for the rest of their lives.

Looking back on these events as adults, the estranged Fay and Nell trace that fateful school year, recalling backstage theater department intrigue, antiwar demonstrations, smutty fanfic written over AIM and a shared dial-up connection—and the spectacular cascade of mistakes, miscommunications, and betrayals that would ultimately tear the two of them apart.

©2023 James Frankie Thomas (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"[Narrator] Kristen DiMercurio adeptly shifts her tone as she moves between Nell's and Fay's viewpoints as the narrative weaves between the 2002-2003 school year and the present day 15 years later. DiMercurio's performance--imbued with layers of teenage passion and angst--transports listeners back to the political and social instability engulfing New York City after 9/11.... DiMercurio presents the friends' irreverent commentary on the world, and their own conflicted private reflections, with an attuned ear for their story." (AudioFile)

Really well written with many twists

This story is so amazing and well written.
All of the characters are well written and distinct.
Shoutout to the narrator Kristen DiMercurio who did such a phenomenal job (especially the epilogue! (Gave me chills)
Fay and Nell are my favorite characters. It was so interesting to see how they both developed as the story went on.
10/10 HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Compelling

A compelling and heartfelt novel that reflects on the last year of a pair of high schoolers .

Dark and more disturbing than I expected

This story was much darker than I expected (and it wasn’t because it’s set during 9/11.). I enjoyed it immensely, but it was unhinged. Some of it is normal teen drama, but a lot of it is so much worse. The story subtly depicts the darkest parts of codependent friendship and obsession, homophobic and racist microaggressions, predatory behavior, teen cruelty, child neglect, and the devastating impact not being understood or understanding oneself as trans can have on a life, and it does this by showing without fully acknowledging how fucked up it all is. Much of it is just accepted as the norm, the way things are.

The novel depicts all of this and other issues in an exceptionally understated way that builds until you realize just how out of hand things have become. There were times when I thought the plot could move more quickly but I think it serves the purpose of making the reader squirm and sit with what is happening.

A subtle but excellently written novel. I will definitely be reading other work by the author.

Some spoilers below:

Few characters in this story are good people. The characters who are the least awful are pushovers or teachers who practice favoritism. Theo is a sadistic sociopath. I cannot be convinced otherwise.

I love that the author alternates between perspectives to show just how little Fay and Nelle understand each other even when they think the other completely gets them. I both love and find it infuriating that so many things are left unsaid and unresolved.

If you’re looking for a novel that delves into the trans experience, look elsewhere. This story hints at it and then basically confirms one of the characters is trans and at the very end of the book, you get the idea that the character kind of knows it but feels they’ve already missed their window in life for transitioning (note- it’s never too late!) so they aren’t doing too much about it. You won’t get the post-transition perspective.

The audio-
The audio was weird at times, like the speaker would lean close and then far away from the mic. Aside from that, the speaker did a good job with differentiating voices and creating voices for the characters that matched their written descriptions.

What a debut

Catcher in the Rye meets The Secret History meets Stone Butch Blues. Funny, deep, heartwarming, smart, intriguing, indescribable and yet it feels familiar and real.

So gay - in the best way

Narrator did a great job with the two different perspectives and voices. Young private school queers being weird and crazy.

Loved every single part of it

This was so awkward and true and weird and warm and touching and funny and I loved it dearly.

Excellent

The performance is great and the story is excellent. The characters are very well developed.

Sad it’s over

This was such a brilliant, funny, dark, engaging, vivid and original book. Can’t recommend highly enough. Sad it’s over and looking forward to the next one.