PositiveThe Washington Independent Review of BooksGervais allows us to watch events unfold from Gina’s perspective, and so we are occasionally frustrated by our protagonist’s misguided attempts to reconcile all the different pieces of herself into a cohesive whole. But we’re also amused at her and Anna’s flailing, awkward attempts to move beyond friendship to something more ... Throughout, the author takes the structure and tropes of a traditional bildungsroman and lovingly places them over this intimate circle of people, this single year, to show how even small conversations and experiences can shape a young life. It’s all even more beautiful when you realize the author has used a centuries-old structure to create a gentle, queer, feminist coming-of-age tale set in the little-explored world of 1980s tattooing ... True, the result is surely a niche Venn diagram, but such is Gervais’ skill that the tale will resonate with all kinds of readers. The artistry here — save for one jarring scene dealing with dubiously granted sexual consent — is deft, and Gina is an immensely likable if frustrating character.
