Imogen, Obviously – Becky Albertalli
Summary: Imogen visits her bestie at her nearby college and gets a taste of what it’s like to be seen as queer, and along the way realizes that maybe she isn’t so straight after all.
Tessa stops short. “You’re an award-winning chef?”
“Yeah… I don’t want to brag, but”—I bite back a smile—”I kind of swept the ten-and-under category in the Li’l Cookies Library Fundraiser Bake-Off.”
“Yeah you did,” Tessa high-fives me.
“Best Rice Krispie Treat of my life,” Lili says.
“Thanks! It’s the recipe from the back of the Rice Krispies box.”
“Still counts!”
p. 45
This book made, at least to my eyes, several year-end best lists for queer YA fiction in 2023, and so I could not resist giving it a try. Then, I read the whole thing in more or less one sitting, and I understood what all the fuss was about.
A thing I’ve heard more and more from the LGBT+ community (or maybe my ears were finally ready to listen) is the phrase “You are queer enough,” and this book is basically the embodiment of this concept.
In some ways, Imogen had never given too much thought to her sexuality. Since all her friends are queer, and while she’s never kissed a boy (or anyone else!), she’s always seen herself in contrast to them. In other ways, because she’s always seen herself in contrast to them and has that message constantly reinforced by another friend, she’s never had reason to give it much thought. Then, a little white lie gives her a weekend where no one questions that she *could* be queer. That gives way to weeklong flirting exchange with another girl that has Imogen questioning everything she thought she knew.
What does being queer look like? What if her love of queer people and queer media left her blind to the fact that it could look like her? What about earlier obsessions with girls? And most importantly, what about this new girl keeps her up too late and smiling?
Imogen, obviously, is a delight to spend an easy 300+ YA pages with, and one that left me up too late and smiling way more than I’m used to. And the Rice Krispies treats, well, they were a bit easier and made well before bed time, but they were no less satisfying than the book (given it’s been years since I have had or made them).
Here’s what I did, following the recipe on the back of the box (well, the Rice Krispies website anyway), obviously:
Ingredients
- 3 T. butter
- 1 (10 oz.) package JET-PUFFED marshmallows
- 6 c. Rice Krispies cereal (or generic, shhhh)
- Oil, for coating
Directions
- Step 1: Melt butter in a large saucepan or pot over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Add in the cereal, and stir until well coated.
- Step 2: Spray or spread oil in a 9×13 casserole dish, and then use an oil-coated spatula or wax paper to evenly press the mixture into the dish.
- Step 3: Let cool, and cut into 2 in. squares. Freeze any leftovers by separating squares with wax paper.