Into the Real

by Z Brewer Narrated by Dani Martineck

Overview

In this gripping, genre-defying YA novel from*New York Times*bestselling author Z*Brewer, three teens-one who presents as genderqueer, one who presents as female, and one who presents as male-are caught up in three very different stories of survival. But those stories intersect as the teens start to realize that they might in fact be a single, singular “they,” alternating among worlds-and that accepting themself might be the key to defeating the monsters that plague them in all three.

Three Quinns. Three Brumes. Three realities.

The first Brume is a waking nightmare, overrun by literal monsters and cutthroat survivors. For Quinn, who is openly genderqueer, the silver lining is their friendship with Lia-and that there might still be hope for salvation.

The second Brume is a prison with no bars. Forced to “sort out” their sexuality with other teens at Camp Redemption, Quinn must also figure out why presenting as female has never felt quite right.

The third Brume is a war zone. For Quinn, who presents as male, leading the Resistance against an authoritarian government is difficult, since even the Resistance might not accept them if they knew Quinn's truth.

As Quinn starts to realize that they might be one person alternating among these three worlds and identities, they wonder: Which world is the real one? Or do they all contain some deeper truth?

Editorial Reviews

JANUARY 2021 - AudioFile

Narrator Dani Martineck captures the horror and suspense in this grim novel about one person caught among three realties. In one, Quinn is captian of the resistence in a brutal war; in another, a teenager trapped at a gay conversion camp; in a third, a genderqueer person in a world full of terrifying monsters. Martineck doesn’t alter their voice much as the point of view shifts among the three Quinns, a choice that can be jarring at first. But once Martineck settles into each point of view, their narration is stirring and full of emotion. Listeners are sure to be captivated by their fast-paced voicing of the action sequences, as well as the overarching mystery, intriguing world-building, and themes of shifting identity and self-discovery. L.S. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

09/14/2020

In Brewer’s (Madness) speculative tale of identity, 17-year-old Quinn exists in three iterations within the municipality of Brume, their gender presentation varying across story lines. Each of three plots, told in alternating first-person prose, find Quinn navigating their identity, interpersonal relationships, and external threats while gradually becoming aware of their other existences and considering how each might be connected. A genderqueer- presenting Quinn faces human-eating monsters after the death of their accepting family. A female-presenting Quinn agrees to reside at a conversion therapy camp that she later discovers employs torture. And a male-presenting Quinn leads a resistance against a white supremacist–led America—a resistance whose soldiers cling to homophobia and binary gender roles. Shifts between realities can be jarring at first, and aspects of the military reality, such as unclear reasoning behind why an unskilled youth commands more experienced soldiers, weaken it substantially. Though readers sensitive to queer pain may wish to steer clear, the clearly wrought threats and anguish that the Quinns face from those closest to them feel hauntingly familiar. Ages 13–up. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Oct.)

From the Publisher

"Teens who are contemplating the constructs of their identity will appreciate Quinn's company."  — School Library Journal

School Library Journal

08/01/2020

Gr 8 Up—The work of understanding one's own identity, including gender, is explored in this genre-blending novel. Quinn, their parents and brother, girlfriend Lia, and sidekicks Lloyd and Caleb seem to be caught in several alternate realities that unfold from each into the next and back again, as Quinn proves to be both an unreliable narrator and a character whose intricate interior evolution becomes the real story. One setting is a dystopian fantasy in which Quinn and company must fight against monstrous and sinister beings; another is a pray-the-gay-away "camp;" and a third depicts a home life that ranges from loving to cruel. As in Greek mythology, successive moments seem to contradict anything that just happened previously, and all the characters are written to expose them as both forces of good and forces of evil, from Quinn's kaleidoscopic account. Dialogue and tender and tumultuously violent scenes are recounted in flowing prose, though Quinn's interior monologue is written with wooden sentences, making it less compelling. VERDICT Every book indeed has its reader(s) and teens who are contemplating the constructs of their identity will appreciate Quinn's company.—Francisca Goldsmith, Lib. Ronin, Worcester, MA

JANUARY 2021 - AudioFile

Narrator Dani Martineck captures the horror and suspense in this grim novel about one person caught among three realties. In one, Quinn is captian of the resistence in a brutal war; in another, a teenager trapped at a gay conversion camp; in a third, a genderqueer person in a world full of terrifying monsters. Martineck doesn’t alter their voice much as the point of view shifts among the three Quinns, a choice that can be jarring at first. But once Martineck settles into each point of view, their narration is stirring and full of emotion. Listeners are sure to be captivated by their fast-paced voicing of the action sequences, as well as the overarching mystery, intriguing world-building, and themes of shifting identity and self-discovery. L.S. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2020-08-18
Fractured among three worlds, a genderqueer teen faces monsters as they struggle to solve a paradox.

Seventeen-year-old Quinn exists in three alternate realities. Each provides distinct traumatic trials—flesh-eating monsters, conversion therapy, and civil war. In all of the realities, Quinn grapples with defining their gender identity and rejection due to their queerness while longing for Lia, a cisgender girl. In one life, Lia is viciously transphobic while proclaiming support for other queer identities. As Quinn awakens to the connection among the realities, they must decide which one they want to inhabit. The human characters default to White; although Quinn’s resistance army claims to fight White supremacists, no people of color play a role. The fighters espouse blatantly sexist and homophobic views, and as their hero, Quinn champions a peaceful compromise with fascist enemies and wrestles with internal discomfort over not speaking up against their soldiers’ blatant bias. In one reality, the sacred Indigenous practice of burning sage is carried out by White characters for protection from monsters. Despite the fast-paced action, explicit violence, and suspenseful appeal of the premise, the novel feels flat, with long expository passages disrupting the flow. Perhaps because the characters play different roles in Quinn’s life in each reality, they feel distant and underdeveloped, lowering the emotional stakes.

An ambitious undertaking weakened by its execution. (Fantasy. 14-18)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940177061948
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	10/06/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged

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