Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Regina Marler

…a complete romp…Despite its structure, which shuttles between one Will and the other, the novel is so tightly woven that it begins to feel miraculous. Neither Will can hold a candle to Tiny Cooper—which, luckily, both of them realize near the end…Will Grayson, Will Grayson is so funny, rude and original tha…even the musical-averse will cheer.

Publishers Weekly

In alternating chapters, the authors track two teens, both named Will Grayson, who accidentally meet halfway through the novel, perhaps changing the trajectory of both of their lives. One Will is vintage Green: a smart nerd whose rules to live by include “don't care too much,” with a scene-stealing sidekick—Tiny Cooper, a large, flamboyantly gay classmate intent on staging an autobiographical musical. The other will (lowercase throughout) is angry and depressed; the one bright spot in his existence is an online friendship with “Isaac.” When will agrees to meet Isaac one night in Chicago, readers know nothing good will happen—and they will be wrong. A well-orchestrated big reveal takes the story in a new direction, one that gives (lowercase) will greater dimension. The ending is laudable but highly implausible. The journey to it is full of comic bits, mostly provided by the irrepressible Tiny, who needs his own novel. Frank sexual language—a shot at a bar “tastes like Satan's fire cock”—pushes this one to high school, where its message of embracing love in all its forms ought to find a receptive audience. Ages 14-up. (Apr.)

VOYA

One Will Grayson wants nothing more than to shut up and not care; the other wants nothing more than to have someone to talk to and care about. But when Will Grayson meets Will Grayson, two worlds collide, and neither Will's world will ever be the same. Both Will Graysons' lives are changed because of Tiny Cooper, "the world's largest person who is also really, really gay, and also the world's gayest person who is really, really large," who is in the process of producing an over-the-top musical about his life, trust, and true love. While Will Grayson starts dating Jane and reconnects with Tiny, his longtime best friend, Tiny is able to give the other Will Grayson the love and support he needs to come out to his friends and family. And it is both Will Graysons who show Tiny that he is appreciated. Exactly what you would expect from Green and Levithan, this novel offers a full cast of flawed and fabulous characters. Chasing obscure bands amongst the cityscape (this time Chicago), oversized queens, and the highly integrated gay and hetero worlds are signature Levithan; the corrupting and confused Maura and Jane are as complicated as Green's Alaska and Margo. What results is a wonderfully campy, sweet, romantic gesture in the spectacular style that readers have come to expect from these two YA masters. Although not entirely unfamiliar—or precisely because of it—Will Grayson will find a fast and adoring audience. Reviewer: Jennifer Miskec

Kirkus Reviews

Will Grayson loves indie rock, plays the eye-rolling angry stepchild to his extraordinarily giant, lovable, gay best friend Tiny Cooper and doesn't realize that he yearns for his other indie-rock-loving friend Jane until it's too late. will grayson (he never uses uppercase) hates most everything except sharing an XXL coffee with his best friend Maura each morning and covertly conversing with his Internet boyfriend every night. Their two discrete worlds collide in a Chicago porn store after dual botched evenings out. Love, honesty, friendship and trust all ensue, culminating in the world's gayest and most fabulous musical ever. Green and Levithan craft an intellectually existential, electrically ebullient love story that brilliantly melds the ridiculous with the realistic. In alternating chapters from Will and will, each character comes lovingly to life, especially Tiny Cooper, whose linebacker-sized, heart-on-his-sleeve personality could win over the grouchiest of grouches (viz. will grayson). Their story, along with the rest of the cast's, will have readers simultaneously laughing, crying and singing at the top of their lungs. (Fiction. YA)

Booklist

Two superstar authors pair up and really deliver the goods, dishing up a terrific high-energy tale...threaded with generous measures of comedy and savvy counsel.

Children's Literature

The adage "the whole is greater than the sum of the parts" is proven to be absolutely true when considering this dual-viewpoint novel co-authored by two extremely talented authors. Two decidedly dissimilar young men share the exact same name as well as many very human traits, experiences, and feelings. Green and Levithan have spoken through these very believable characters with grace and guile; the speech patterns ring true and they express themselves with realistic body language and gestures. In order to keep the voices of the two boys distinct, one Will is written in all lower case letters; the other in the standard font sizes and sentence structure, which may actually reflect the more traditional side of that Will. He refers to the "other Will Grayson" when pondering some of their shared experiences and while processing "life lessons" he has gleaned from both "the other" and their friend, Tiny. Addressing the subjects of loyalty, friendship, love, and homosexuality with great aplomb and straightforward prose (sometimes delivered through text messages and e-mails, but mainly as first person narrative), the authors have give readers insight into high school teens without didacticism. The interplay building to the scene where the two Wills cross paths is tense and well crafted—one can hardly read fast enough to discover how they will manage the encounter. The character Tiny Cooper influences both of the Wills; he manages to be "bigger than life" without becoming a comic figure. His size, strength, and skills guarantee a respected place on the football team and his sexual orientation is never in question—neither for himself nor in the sight of others. He is openly gay and has "relationship issues" just as do the other teens. As the two Wills learn from each other (and a nicely developed set of friends), Tiny's ambitions to write and perform in the biggest musical production the school has ever witnessed draws the storyline into a superb moment of absolute understanding that "love is tied to truth." Humor abounds ("Phil Wrayson—what are the odds?"), realistic relationships are given respect and depth, adults are plausible, and the writing is brilliant—need I stress more that this book is outstanding? Reviewer: Sheilah Egan

Brooke Heidecorn

In what seems like a page from a Broadway show, two boys named Will Grayson meet under bizarre circumstances. Will Grayson literally stands in the shadow of his humongous best friend, content with going through life unnoticed. Will Grayson is selfloathing and has problems coming to terms with his homosexuality. Though seemingly unalike, despite their name, the boys' lives overlap. Green and Levithan alternate chapters from the two differing perspectives to give the reader a complete picture of the Wills's influence on each other. Each Will challenges and invites love into their life with the help and inspiration of the other. And as they both struggle with standing up for what and who they believe in, they learn that their lives may not be so different after all. With humor and gravity, the authors weave a story that culminates in the most colorful high school musical of all time. Reviewer: Brooke Heidecorn