A Million Quiet Revolutions (2022)-Robin Gow
I have never read a book that had so much to highlight and annotate.
Content Warnings: sexual abuse, homophobia, dysphoria,
Representation: trans MCs, trans man, T4T, Puerto Rican, Jewish, nonbinary
Fav Quote: “I think how wildly beautiful it is to exist in spite of all the places the stories of men like you, like us, are left untold”
A Million Quiet Revolutions is a realistic YA fiction written in a simple but striking verse. All of the book is a collection of letters and text messages between the two main characters so the character list is very limited but the story is no less complete.
The two main characters, Aaron and Oliver, are high school seniors navigating identity, family, and their relationship with each other. Both characters are trans boys who name themselves after US Revolutionary War soldiers who they believe to have been trans. Oliver is the more timid of the two, less able to pass, interacts less with the cis boys at school and has a greater interest in US history than comics and videogames like Aaron. Aaron is an artist who at times learns to communicate with his art rather than words while the two are apart.
The book initially follows Oliver’s perspective of the early days of the two’s relationship and their journey with their transness. The book continues to follow his perspective as he learns about the circumstances that forces Aaron to move from their small town in Pennsylvania to New York City and his decision to keep contact through weekly letters the way their namesake Revolutionary War soldiers would have. Halfway through, the perspective shifts to feature Aaron’s perspective as he adjusts to his new life in New York and awaits admission letters to the art schools he’s applied to.
T4T relationships (relationships between trans people) are so rare in media and so precious to me. Between the two main characters, I felt so wholly represented in a way that felt both jarring and relieving. The interactions between Aaron and Oliver, though at times a bit juvenile, feel real and ultimately best described as cute (very cute).
A Million Quiet Revolutions is an easy and immersive book divided by short poems. Though there is a loose plot and simple, realistic conflict, the characters are extremely loveable and compelling. This isn’t a book often talked about online or recommendation lists but it is so worth the read and meant so much to me as someone who has looked and struggled to find good trans representation.