The Language of Seabirds has a cover that’s pretty typical for the now-established LGBTQ genre in young adult fiction. There have been ones with similar covers (The Gravity of Us, Darkhearts) that have disappointed me in the past, and I’d just finished another two-male relationship book that was just okay, so I at first wasn’t sure if I’d be in the mood to return to the genre so soon. But I am so glad I didn’t listen to those instincts. This book is whimsical and heartfelt, while also a little sad between the lines. I was in dire need of a story like that.
Our friend Jeremy is the son of a mother and father…who are freshly divorced. They decided Jeremy and his dad, Mike, would go out to Oregon, to stay at his Uncle Becker’s beachhouse cottage for a couple weeks while the mother packs up her stuff, out of everyone’s way. And there’s figuring out living arrangements for their son, where he’ll go to school…things are a mess like they always are in divorce proceedings. And his dad has turned very cranky…At least Uncle Becker’s pretty fun.
And Jeremy is a closeted gay kid. It’s his biggest secret, his second biggest secret being his love for fashion magazines and the standout clothes they have. And one day in the small town, he meets a cool guy his age named Evan. Helps out at his grandma’s knickknack shop, goes for runs, and is a little introverted but nice. Jeremy takes a liking to him, and with that we have The Language of Seabirds, which has the same aura as a cute, little teddybear. Or perhaps we should make that teddybird. It’s not physical or suggestive – it’s merely hopeful for more in the future, which is appropriate for this being about two thirteen-year-olds.
As I said, Jeremy’s dad Mike turns into quite the sourpuss, whereas he used to be the laid-back lighthearted type, and has also really gotten into drinking. If there’s one thing I would’ve added in the book, it’s Jeremy really eventually confronting his dad about his mood swings really making them drift apart, but the book thankfully is not devoid of his dad learning a thing or two.
With Jeremy and Evan in the front-row seats, the whole book depends not really on what kind of story they have, but how it’s told. I’ve read books about strong, healthy relationships, and others about manipulative, poisonous relationships, and this one falls squarely into the first category. A healthy relationship doesn’t automatically make a good book, but it works really well here. It’s so natural – Jeremy at first shows a bit of desperation to have Evan as his friend, and Evan comes across as awkward and unsure, but as time goes on, Evan really warms up to him, and the more it goes, the more I swooned.
The book isn’t filled with side characters or big goals. It’s just a simple sweet story of young love. And that’s storytelling magic. Sometimes all you need is a tale of a kid trying to heal from a broken family and step into themselves, with nothing else to clutter it up. It’s a breath of fresh air by the beach. It’s a very short book, at less than 240 light pages, but whatever. It’s still strong enough that not only did I not want it to end, but after it did, I shed a couple tears. I won’t spoil. But boy, does it tug at the heartstrings. The title references how the two boys come up with codewords based on the various birds that fly by the sea. They come up with a word for the Cassin’s auklet, and when I found out what Evan chose for it, I knew I was reading not just a good book, but an outstanding one.
My grade: 5 stars out of 5
William J. McGinn 