Lovely
Lovely is a fresh and cohesive YA novel by Dess Terentyeva that won Finnish publishing house WSOY’s writing contest that discovers new voices in the field of domestic literature.
Lilja is a pansexual in 9th grade who constantly has a crush. Lilja has nicknamed her latest social media crush, who is extremely lovely simply as Lovely. It turns out that Lovely is the child of Lilja’s single dad’s latest girlfriend, which becomes a game-changer.
Lovely appears as a confident and conscious nonbinary on social media, but Lovely’s conservative mother has no clue about her child’s true identity.
Can Lilja come to terms with the fact that dad is dating a woman who appears to be transphobic? Can one force another to show their true colours?
This verse novel with a narrative that resembles the spoken word underlines its appeal. Told in a unique voice with a storyline that brings the reader close to the narrator’s emotions, but also allows one to come to their own conclusion about the significance of the story.
info
Year of publication
2021
Original title
Ihana
Page count
128
Original publisher
WSOY
Original language of publication
Finnish
Reviews
Finlandia Junior Prize jury 2021
“The captivating and touching” Lovely” (Ihana) is a whole and beautiful reading experience. The passionate rhythm of the language in the work manages to reach the experiences and the feelings of young people accurately and credibly. Becoming accepted as one’s true self, being seen and feeling loved is a vast theme that is handled sensitively and skillfully through the verse novel.”
Awards & Nominations
Nominations
Tulenkantaja award
2021
Finlandia Junior Prize
2021
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