We Contain Multitudes – Sarah Henstra
100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: Two polar opposites are assigned pen pals for high school English, but it doesn’t take long for eccentric Jo and jock Kurl to discover they have more in common than they think.
Expectation: A breezy graphic novel full of the typical young adult trappings.
Reality: Not a graphic novel and not breezy. The epistolary structure makes it a quick read, but there are multiple chaotic and disturbing plots (see trigger warnings).
Recommended For: Fans of young adult male/male romance with an edge.
Why I Read It: It was highly recommended by a few #Bookstagrammers I trust.
My Take:
Do you ever read a book that is kind of a hot mess, but it all somehow works?
That’s how I feel about “We Contain Multitudes,” a story that has given me a massive book hangover and might make my end of year favorites list, but I still found it somewhat problematic and, from a plotting perspective, chaotic.
On the surface it’s the classic opposites attract teen trope: Jonathan (Jo) Hopkirk, the wise beyond his years bullied, and openly gay, underclassman with an obsession for Walt Whitman and vintage clothing becomes in-school pen pals with upperclassman Adam (Kurl) Kurlansky, the rough and tumble jock who, to borrow from the title, contains multitudes.
You may go in expecting a saccharine sweet, slowly unfolding love story — and you get that but with scenes of sexual tension rivaling “Brokeback Mountain” — but it’s paired with whiplash-inducing tonal shifts and trigger warnings, including drug abuse, dead parents, child abuse, sexual assault, bullying, coming out and PTSD.
Basically, you name it, this book has it — and all recapped via letters.
Usually, I’d scoff at an author for trying to do too much, but Sarah Henstra won me over through a combination of emotive writing, the setting (Minneapolis, circa 2015-2016, a period in which I lived in the city) and two main characters you can’t help but love through all the ridiculousness.
But, there are some serious problems here.
The age difference
First, the age difference between Jo and Kurl. While only two years apart — 16 and 18 years old, respectively — in the eyes of Minnesota law, those months make a huge difference.
While these relationships are not uncommon among high school students, it is still questionable that Henstra couldn’t find a way to make this work with both characters being within legally accepted ages. Since Jo’s father, Lyle, and sister, Shayna, are aware of the relationship and supportive of it — and conversations about consent occur — the author gets a pass.
The author
Then there’s Henstra herself. I’m not saying that creators always need to have lived experiences to tell an effective story, but a cis-gender straight woman writing about two teenage boys in love — and detail their sexual relationship — is…weird, no?
While she clearly loves these characters and respects the coming out journey, elements of the relationship felt like fan fiction or a Harlequin romance aged down. Still, it’s unfair to criticize Henstra when other female writers have done the same, most notably Jandy Nelson, whose “I’ll Give You the Sun” is an apt comparison to “Multitudes.”
The plots and character actions
[multiple spoilers ahead, see below for spoiler-free trigger warnings]
Lyle and Shayna and drugs: Lyle, is a bluegrass band fronting single father who lied to his children for years about how their mother died. When the truth comes out — she left her family and moved to Los Angeles where she overdosed — it sends Shayna on a spiral of her own drug-induced mania, during which SHE SLEEPS WITH KURL, HER BROTHER’S BOYFRIEND. Neither of them could fully consent, and she doesn’t apologize for it, but Jo blames Kurl and not her. Oh, also Lyle encourages his children (and their friends) multiple times to smoke weed, even with all the drug addiction conversations happening.
The violence: High school can be a dangerous place for many reasons. Henstra presents a realistic depiction of Jo’s bullying (teachers are oblivious) and Kurl’s abuse at the hands of his stepfather (which was a surprise to his two older brothers even though they all work together, and he frequently missed school). Then there’s Kurl’s anger, completely understandable as PTSD from his own abuse, but he nearly killed someone with no repercussions.
The letters: Clearly no teen talks the way Kurl and Jo do. At first, I found it charming how they poured their hearts out to one another and then acted like they didn’t know each other in person, but then it got ridiculous.
Prince: It’s hard to describe what it was like to live in Minneapolis when Prince died. The area mourned for weeks upon weeks. It’s interesting that Henstra tried to put that into the story – a concert at Paisley Park and a memorial service – but, no disrespect to the Purple One, does anyone that wasn’t a Prince superfan or living in the Twin Cities at the time care?
The tonal shifts: Within the span of pages, you could have professions of love, a celebration of Whitman’s poetry and the usual teen romance fare to be whiplashed with depictions of child abuse, drug addiction and PTSD. This imbalance kept me on my toes and propelled me forward, but I also don’t know why there was such a pile on of unhappiness?
[spoilers ended – trigger warnings for child and sexual abuse, bullying and drug use]
Rehashing this, I’m trying not to laugh out loud because it sounds like Henstra was picking ideas from a hat, but seriously, it all worked for me. I don’t know how or why, but it did.
Well I do know why: Kurl. I was utterly enamored by the character who reminded me of “Beartown’s” Benji Ovich, an all-time favorite literary character. He’s the epitome of rising above your circumstances, and it was a pleasure to watch him own his truth and chart a positive path forward. To me, Jo felt like a caricature of YA protagonists (with a few exceptions), but Kurl felt lived in.
If you like young adult novels with male/male romance, an epistolary structure and books about Minnesota and/or Prince — you will love this. Note the trigger warnings; I went in blind and it was not the story I expected it to be.
Rating (story): 4/5 stars
Rating (narration): N/A
Formats: eBook (personal library)
Dates read: June 12 – June 19, 2022
Multi-tasking: N/A
