Another Dimension of Us

November 14, 2022
Two teens living in different times connect through dreams to battle a mysterious evil in this ambitious speculative romance by Albo (Hornito: My Lie Life, for adults). In 1986, white-cued Tommy Gaye, who is fearful of the homophobia exhibited by his peers, hides his feelings for his Argentinian best friend, Renaldo “René” Calabasas. After purportedly being struck by lightning, René returns to school following a hospital stay with what Tommy perceives is a completely different personality. Meanwhile, in 2044, adopted Pris, who “was covered in birthmarks that made her look striped,” yearns to learn more about her birth family’s history. Their stories become intertwined when Tommy unlocks an ability to “dream travel” and appears to Pris in her sleep. Guided by the manifestation of the Lollipop Crunch cereal mascot, lollipop man, and aided by several powerful entities, the teens work together to master their abilities over the astral plane and save their loved ones. The narrative’s myriad alternating perspectives and well-plotted timeline smartly propel intense action, and references to the AIDS crisis and an unnamed 2044 virus grounds this imaginative telling in contemporary reality. Ages 12–up.

November 15, 2022
Teens venture through time and space. In 1986, Tommy Gaye struggles with romantic feelings toward his best friend, Renaldo Calabasas. In 2044, Pris, who has a form of vitiligo that manifests as black-and-white stripes and was adopted by her Uncle Myles, a kind former nurse, feels isolated because of her disconnect from any family of origin. The two stories intertwine through dreams, astral projection, and time travel after Ren� is supposedly struck by lightning and develops a new personality post-recovery. He was, in fact, stolen away into another dimension, his body inhabited by an inhuman evil. The past is rife with homophobia and fears around HIV/AIDS. In the future, an unnamed Virus--as well as Fires--still constrains everyday life, but the acronym LGBTQIA+ has faded into irrelevance since "people just define their gender and their sexuality for themselves now" (though trans women of color still seem uniquely vulnerable to violence). Presented through multiple close-third-person perspectives, the book finally allows readers to join the characters on dangerous interdimensional travels about halfway through the story, with a strange cereal brand mascot as their guide. Unfortunately, some interesting plot elements suffocate due to the flat prose that is weighed down by frequent use of the passive voice that undermines even highly emotional scenes and is padded out with sympathetically bad high school poetry. Tommy is cued White; Ren� is Argentinian. Heartfelt but hard to get through. (Science fiction. 13-17)

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January 1, 2023
Grades 9-12 The fluid plot of Albo's novel spans the years of 1986 to 2044--but not chronologically. Tommy in 1986 and Pris in 2044 are transported to the astral plane via a book, The Sacred Art of Astral Projection. Tommy wants to rescue his best friend (and secret love), Rene, while Pris worries about her childhood best friend, Jayde. Jayde is going on a date with their online boyfriend, but Pris thinks he sounds too good to be true. Her suspicion is confirmed when Jayde fails to return. Tommy and Pris are guided through the lower astral plane to the upper astral plane in search of the means to recover their friends. When they are reunited, they face a harrowing and ultimately heartbreaking escape from a monster, and Tommy and Pris return to their own times, where their lives have changed. Albo explores the universal emotions of adolescence that not only span time and dimension but are ultimately connected in this lucid and thought-provoking novel with appealing and sympathetic characters. Albo also includes a simple and accessible primer on astral projection.

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May 26, 2023

Gr 9 Up-Tommy and Pris are both young, queer teens at Heron High, separated only by time-Tommy's present is 1986, while Pris is in the year 2044. When a mysterious book and suspicious series of events results in a demon from the astral plane effectively kidnapping Tommy's crush, Rene, and Pris's best friend, Jayde, the two find themselves working together on the astral plane-directed by a lollipop cereal mascot as their spirit guide-to come to the rescue. "The Virus," implied to be COVID-19, is still present in 2044 with schools experiencing lockdowns and requiring additional safety measures; in 1986, the AIDS crisis is mentioned several times but is largely tangential to the plot. With the story told from the points of view of all four teens as well as an additional two characters, the narrative is often cluttered and difficult to follow. The pacing is rapid, with little time spent fleshing out the characters outside of nominal description of their racial and queer identities. Supplemental material about astral projection is included at the end of the book. VERDICT An ambitious and convoluted adventure that misses the mark; not recommended for purchase.-Austin Ferraro

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