Yesterday, I finished reading King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender. This realistic fiction novel is about a boy, King James, who is coping with the sudden death of his older brother, Khalid. Not wanting to believe Khalid is really gone, King goes to the bayou every day because he believes his brother has turned into a dragonfly. Khalid also visits King in fantastical dreams. Before Khalid died, he overheard a conversation between King and King's best friend Sandy and told King he shouldn't be friends with with Sandy anymore because he is gay. When Sandy disappears, King discovers him in a tent in his own backyard and decides to help hide him from his abusive father. As the days pass, King worries about how he is lying to family and friends and must confront truths about himself and his grief about Khalid's passing.
I found this novel to be beautiful in its main setting of a bayou in hot and humid Louisiana. I wanted so much to observe the dragonflies in the bayou with King. Although the story is about a boy's grief, I thought it was suspenseful and enjoyed the friendship between King and Sandy and how King could be honest about himself and his belief that his brother turned into a dragonfly without fear of judgement from Sandy. Many of people in the community seems to be prejudiced in some shape or form. Sandy's father is both racist and homophobic. King's father makes homophobic statements. At one point, the story confronts the hypocrisy of people who say Sandy's family is racist because they won't also call out homophobia. That really left a strong impression on me. I also noticed how King's family had trouble connecting after Khalid's death. For much of the book, Khalid can't tell his dad that his loves him because he's not sure his father will accept that he's gay and his mom won't listen to him about Sandy. King and the Dragonflies is a remarkable choice for anyone who is dealing with grief or questioning their identify.
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